Woolley Marketing: The night before Christmas – t’is the best time to be fired?
In his regular column for Mumbrella, Trinity P3 founder and global CEO Darren Woolley reminds us no matter how good an employer you think you are working for, the real measure of an employer is how they let you go.
In my 15 years of working in advertising agencies, I was made redundant three times. Some would say if you have never experienced this in advertising, then perhaps you were never really working in it. The difference here is between being made redundant and being fired for cause. The first was due to the agency no longer being solvent. The next was a restructure I should have seen coming. And the final one was the opportunity to set up my own business and hence the successful existence of TrinityP3.
Why is this relevant? Particularly at this time of year?
Well, from this limited experience with being made redundant, it made me realise that no matter how good an employer you think you are working for, the real measure of an employer is how they let you go. Either by your choice or theirs.
Good perspective Darren. I keep hearing the mantra that it is bad form for companies to let staff go in December but I strongly disagree. It is bad business and bad for people to keep them lingering around and being unprofitable for that extra month. Let them and the agency get on with life and don’t waste that extra 1/12 of their remuneration when it could be used to keep the agency going and build strength. That notwithstanding I do think that ‘the night before Christmas’ is a bit harsh. Ideally if you know it is coming you can do it by mid December.