DraftFCB’s Mini-Bloodbath (AKA RIF)
December 7, 2007
We hear that… DraftFCB’s Chicago office had a mini-bloodbath on Thursday with 20 staffers catching the axe. As usual, the layoffs are tied to recent losses including the Similac account.
One tipster reports: “For the past few months, Draftfcb has been moving staffers from the original Draft building at St. Clair Street, consolidating everyone into the former FCB building on East Erie Street. The people fired on Thursday were instructed to pack their belongings during the week, thinking they were moving to the East Erie location. It wasn’t until everyone had packed the boxes that management executed the layoffs.”
Management has reportedly started referring to these events as RIFs – Reduction In Force. It’s so Bush administration.
Later.
December 7, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Guess they didn’t win Royal Caribbean
December 7, 2007 at 5:27 pm
And the surprise here is what….that is SOooo typical of Draft/FCB’s behavior….and let’s just hope that Laurence continues to work out in his personal office gym – he’ll need the strength since he’ll soon be the only person left. Chalk this up to their crack HR department…don’t they just have all the moves down…but of course, humanity isn’t part of their DNA. At least they weren’t told they were going to take a shower…
December 7, 2007 at 6:34 pm
[...] has some nasty layoffs (hat tip : Agency Spy [...]
December 7, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Ohhh… LAM…
That’s so fucking good… Loved the shower bit… Unless you have to share the shower with Laurence and happen to drop the soap…
These people are fucked… Ooops pardon the expression, but they are fucked. Let me repeat that. FUCKED.
Cheers/George
December 7, 2007 at 8:07 pm
What a shitty way to handle layoffs.
December 7, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I don’t see any problem with the way they handled it. They were efficient and ultimately achieved their goals. No one said advertising had to be kind. This is a tough business we work in and if you want to be successful like draftfcb has been, you’ve got to be swift with your decisions.
What’s the problem, it happens, move on.
December 11, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Dear comeon:
We can only hope something equally draconian and disrespectful happens to you and then we’d like you to please report in and let us know how you felt about how you were treated. It’s one thing to get fired – happens to most everyone. It’s another thing to be made a fool of…where is it written that’s ok? Comeon, what’s the matter with you??
December 11, 2007 at 9:11 pm
LAM,
comeon probably came up with RIF. it was his second choice after FOOF: fuck over our force.
December 12, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I thought the gift boxed coal was an appealing touch. Some friends from NYC actually blackened out the white embroidered Draftfcb logos from their satchels after finding new jobs. Seriously, at what point does the so-called “management” bear the brunt of their own malfeasance? Conglomerate heads from the insurance industry (advertisingly clueless): check. Head of Draftwork’s COO’s knowledgeless boyfriend: check. Namesake: Classless to a tee, which no amount of notoriety and money can overcome: check. All the emperors new clothes lemmings out there are not honest enough to admit: Not only are you naked, but you are exceptionally unattractive. Please realize my spineless friends: There are dozens of talented people who after experiencing this mess have warned everyone they come in contact with to under NO circumstances work for Draft (unless you have a critically ill spouse and then ONLY if you actually like said spouse.) I vote they should re-conglomerate and name the place Walnot.
December 13, 2007 at 12:05 am
An immortal ditty co-written by myself and former NYC employee JH.
Well they used to be human.
Then they joined the dark forces.
They used to be human,
now they’re human resources.
December 15, 2007 at 8:47 am
“If you want to be successful like draftFCB has been….”
Well, I believe that sums it up in an ironic nutshell, doesn’t it? I find it hilarious how people who work at that shop haven’t a clue how often they set themselves up for ridicule.
And I wouldn’t call too many of the decisions made over there “swift”.
December 17, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I can unequivocally prove that Kinder’s (Boschetto’s boyfriend) Draftworks is a black hole money drain. They couldn’t get there own work done and had to pilfer people from the original studio. Saw bills of thousands of dollars for outside photography while FCB has a state-of-the-art digital photo studio. Before FCB the entire NY Draft office didn’t even have a single wide format printer, in-house retouching or scanning. This is the only major agency in modern times that had operated this way. All were sent out no matter how hard we attempted to create an in-housse profit center. Shades of the immortal Mitch Mousalem of Grey fame (who is now head of license plate development upstate). Bet the house that an unfavorable P&L report meant the honest Mr. Oates’ demise. Then he was bought off in severence to not reveal. These “PEOPLE” (per George: Huey, Dewey, Louie – and per me Screwy (Kinder) are CRIMINALS.
December 19, 2007 at 5:54 am
these guys are the worst creatives..