Ave A/Razorfish Staffers Are Kinda Getting Screwed

Microsoft bought interactive agency Avenue A/Razorfish just this past May. It’s been pretty much smooth sailing as far as we know. Except that… agency employees recently found out that they won’t be sharing in Microsoft’s benefits package. Meanwhile, their counterparts in aQuantive’s other divisions, Atlas and DRIVEpm, will get to enjoy the 100 percent employer-paid health insurance.

Avenue A President Clark Kokich told employees that: “[W]e believe it is no longer tenable for us to attempt to treat all parts of our business the same. It would mean causing AA|RF to conform so closely to the software and media model as to make it non-competitive within its own industry.”

The Seattle Times reported that: “Early next year, Avenue A will begin designing a new compensation package, tweaking its approach to salary, benefits, bonus, titles, levels, tools, career development and performance management.The new package will take effect July 1, 2008, the beginning of Microsoft’s fiscal year.”

That kinda sucks.