The big news on Monday's holiday was Steve Jobs' announcement about taking a leave of absence from Apple due to medical reasons. Houston executive employment lawyer Joe Ahmad of Houston’s Ahmad Zavitsanos and Anaipakos said that timing was not by accident.
“Companies and executives can learn a lot from how Apple handled the announcement of Steve Jobs’ medical leave today,” Ahmad said. “When you have someone like this who is the face of the company, it’s important to have your pitch together, to explain who will take that person’s place, and to let the market know the executive is coming back.
"Apple did all those things and shrewdly chose a day when the U.S. stock market is closed. They were smart to try to lessen the impact of knee jerk reactions. Though Jobs is notoriously private about his health, it is still a public issue and executives in the C-Suite like Jobs need to know how to plan carefully in these situations. Top level executives usually don’t come under the Family and Medical Leave Act but rather have to work this out with their boards ahead of time."
The company also timed the announcement ahead of the release of its quarterly earnings. CONTACT: Leave me a Houston or Texas media news tip | COMMENT: Click to leave your thoughts on this post here
