Not only that, but somehow, they got AdAge to write an article, spinning the situation into Havas "fighting against bullying." (Read it here, if you can get past the paywall.) Looks like they've got some friends over there.
There's this social media app called Fishbowl, where agency professionals can anonymously post as either their job title (ex: Creative Director) or their agency (ex: Havas). You can also post as your name, but only crazy people do that.
Anyway, recently on Fishbowl, lots of Havas Chicago employees were voicing some unhappy opinions about their CCO Jason Peterson, and the agency as a whole. Now, they were in no way kind about what they said, and in a lot of cases were downright offensive (as are all anonymous people on the internet). Most of them were like these two:
"The laughing stock in charge is obssesed (sic) with his 1M fake followers" and "I'm embarrassed to work at havas (sic) as well."
Now, this is where it gets interesting. According to AdAge, "some employees had the idea" (read: "yeah, this was totally Jason") that they should print out the most offensive of these posts, frame them, and hang them in the lobby of Havas Chicago, with the words "Employee of the Month" above them. Leadership was apparently thrilled at the idea and green-lit it. But, because they're so caring, they also printed pamphlets that basically said, "If you don't like it here, get out." alongside a list of other agencies' recruiters' contact info.
Now, I'm no CCO (yet). And I don't have all the answers as to how to run an agency. But, if you have employees that have a problem with you or the way you run your shop, what you should not do is shame them on Instagram and IN THE LOBBY OF YOUR AGENCY!
Whether the negative comments were about Peterson's recent buddying-up with Kanye West, the agency's reputation, or just about how much they don't like their CCO, none of that matters. When your employees have turned to an anonymous social media app to vent, you don't take that and rub it in their faces.
Even if the idea came from other employees (which I'm incredibly doubtful about), it still had to get thumbs-upped from their leadership. That's where it should've stopped. Every person running that agency should've known better than to abuse their power, by shaming people who had issues with the agency.
Putting their own employees on blast, in the lobby of the agency they have to walk into every day, does not make them feel like they can talk to anyone about how they feel when their agency does stuff like...I don't know, frame and hang up anonymous venting posts in the lobby.
Okay, I'm no celebrity, but obviously I'm outspoken about my opinions. And there are people on Fishbowl that don't like me very much. Now, when they talk trash about me, do I think about looking for ways to digitally hunt them down and destroy their lives? Yes, of course, I do! But I don't actually ever do it!
It's shocking to me, how completely wrong of a call this was for Havas. Now, maybe one or two people thought it was a good idea, but for the entire leadership of the agency to green-light it is surprising. But, I have a feeling the saga isn't over just yet.
To those who got called out in the lobby of their own agency, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to move on. Not because you've been shamed into it, but because life's too short to deal with crap like this.
Havas has seen success with this approach through previous strategic collaborations in the wellness and entertainment space, including "Everyday Heroes" with Marvel and Pfizer/BioNTech, "Me My Autism and I" by Reckitt's brand Vanish, and "Mindshare" with healthcare charity PUISSANCE DYS and Minecraft.
About Havas Founded in 1835 in Paris, Havas is one of the world's largest global communications networks, with more than 22,000 people in over 100 countries sharing one single mission: to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses, and people. Havas has developed a fully integrated model through its 70+ Havas Villages around the world, covering all communication activities. The teams of the three business units, Havas Creative Network, Havas Media Network, and Havas Health & You, work together with agility and in perfect synergy to offer tailor-made, innovative solutions to clients who support them in their positive transformation. Havas is committed to building a diverse culture where everybody feels they belong and can be themselves and thrive. Havas integrated into Vivendi, a global leader in media, entertainment, and communications, in December 2017. Further information about Havas is available at www.havas.com.
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