more powerful than I knew
When I worked at my first ad agency in the early 2000s, I went from intern to production artist to traffic and print manager over a five year span. I was the co-chair of the “Feel The Love” committee for employees and managed a monthly lunch bunch outing to various restaurants to try different cuisines. By all accounts, I was a good employee.
I was a thorn, though. I asked questions and paid close attention to not only what was said but what was actually happening. I watched client billings and work go from wildly robust to a trickle but the messages stayed positive and the company forged forward with a huge investment in another city.
I wasn’t surprised when downsizing happened. It was bound to happen. It’s one reason why I really dislike agency life. It’s volatile and contingent upon client relationships, budgets, smart business money management and so much more.
And, I wasn’t surprised when I was laid off. But how it happened and what followed continues, to this day to, amaze me. I was part of the Creative Services department so my top leader was the head of that department and part of the C-Suite. But they didn’t let me know that I was being let go. It was the leadership of the Account Services department, also a part of the C-Suite, who called me into their office to let me know they were letting me go. In fact, my leadership didn’t know it was happening until moments before it was executed. I asked a few questions and pointed out a few details related to client billings and was met with a smirk and non-response.
I was told I could go back to my desk and that I was free to let people know about my termination. I could pack up and take my time. No HR. No email shut off. No badge access revoked. I was free to do whatever I wanted before I departed for the day.
I was embarrassed so I went back to my desk and continued to talk to people who were stopping by to give me work to route to people. I’ll never forget sitting at my desk thinking “this person has NO idea that I was terminated.” I didn’t make a scene. I packed up what I could, in between people stopping by and holding back tears, and eventually made my way to my car.
I called a friend and co-worker and let her know that I had been let go. It was humiliating, at the time. The company never communicated my departure to anyone. Not internally or externally. Isn’t that odd and hilarious? I worked there for five years and it was maybe a company of 40 people. I held positions that exposed me to all the departments, had external vendor relationships and I had definitely been integral in its culture.
A few years later, at a different employer, I opened a letter addressed to me. A letter, from a lawyer (the brother of one of the agency owners) who demanded that I ‘cease and desist any and all disparaging comments about the agency.’
Did you get all of that? A letter. From a lawyer. To me. At my new place of employment. Years later. Asking me to “stop talking poorly about the agency or there would be consequences.” Initially I was scared; then I was furious. How dare they send me a letter at my new employer. I hadn’t moved so my personal address was on file. They took extra steps to find where I was currently working to threaten me. I called the lawyer’s office and let them know any future correspondence should be sent to my home. I never heard from them again.
I kept the letter for a lot of years as a reminder of 1) how dumb that agency had become 2) how funny it was that they went through the effort to mail something to me and 3) how powerful my presence was. I did get rid of the letter but I have the memory and now you have a little piece of it, too.
