Previously good company; desperately in need of tough-love and improvements to remain competitive and relevant
Pros
Long ago, when leadership and mentorship mattered, there were senior managers who actively mentored staff and cared about career growth and opportunities to develop staff. This evaluation and assessment of skills allowed people to grow and develop across the organization, work on different clients and try different things. Now you are stuck with clients for years because they love (or are comfortable) with you until you ask to be taken off because you can't handle the lack of creativity, the daily verbal abuse or the lack of work-life balance and are on the verge of quitting. Only then will management finally do something and go to the next person who they can use and abuse. Salary used to be competitive across the industry and others in Chicago, but with the poorly thought-out and awkwardly executed title updates (whose idea was to do it by email?!?), there are more levels of management to keep a carrot hanging out there before people leave from being fed up, finally seeing the light or being contacted by recruiters who take advantage of the opportunity due to lack of leadership and culture change. Healthcare benefits are otherwise pretty good. Numerous babies thanks to help from healthcare benefits. PTO is use-it-or-lose-it (with approval of course), nothing special or competitive. Especially since there are no summer hours. Other benefits are ok (no continuing education benefits though). There is a strong desire for good (dare I say it, award-winning) work. It is the primary drive for the creative team, but often it eclipses being a good person and good coworker. Some creative directors bully concepts through and in their "passion" for concepts, alienate clients leaving account teams to repair the relationship. And if these creative directors have nothing to do, god help the incremental work we do. A simple piece becomes overthought and analyzed until it becomes a financial and project management disaster (writeoff) because of creative ego. Office: The facilities are top-notch (although a paint job might help). IT team keeps up-to-date on equipment and tech for all. Facilities keeps one of the best office supply rooms fully stocked and snacks are somewhat plentiful (if you can remember when they are put out -- fix how you distribute snacks, its like Pavlov's dog). Overall, a good place to start your career or get it on your resume, but then leave to grow and advance it.
Cons
Client roster needs work. Not the big pharma you'd expect anymore, but smaller pharma companies with brands they are looking to get approved to help them sell their company later. When these companies go bust (because the drug gets held up by the FDA), AT loses a lot of money and it gets even more depressing. We used to have blue-chip clients. Creative. Needs help. Concepting projects include digging through similar ideas generated and paid for by other clients. It's not a creative brief issue, but a idea generation/review problem. You also need help trying to sell it into clients and developing solid market research around it. No small task, but you've the work before long ago. Or is being "unique" dead. There is no creative accountability. Traditionally, we blame the client, creative brief, account person, project manager, market research, client MRL, whomever, but the creative team is untouchable. They do no wrong because "we are a creative agency." They are not accountable for their overbilling on clients, not following creative brief direction or what the clients asked for, all in the guise of "being creative" and "thinking outside the box." There needs to be a balance and partnership. Very few creative teams or CDs do this. Part ego, part "I don't care" but it is demoralizing and not at all team-work orientated. Creative teams treat the project management teams like crap. Very disrespectful. And sad. Project Management turnover is high. I wonder why. Employee retention is at an all-time low. Despite the need for layoffs, employees leaving the company seems more frequent than other agencies. AT might attract top talent, but can we keep it? Why are people leaving? Better salary, better bosses, better work? Yes, yes and yes. You might not care that people are leaving, but you should. Digital expertise still needs work, especially with recent significant departures. Project management needs management support so that creative teams don't bully them. Media department is great with print but slowly developing when it comes to digital media acumen. Mentorship shouldn't be a formal program. Feels forced and some of the "mentors" in the program leave a lot to be desired. Good mentors lead by example, in addition to direction. Micromanagers: There are managers who micromanage every aspect of working with clients. They haven't learned how to let go or how to manage staff. There are other who don't. This definitely doesn't make things "quick." Time Off: Company holidays are standards. Could have more. PTO could be better if you actually can use it without being made to feel guilty. There are no summer hours/Friday because the company admittedly loses a lot of money. Agency is also open between Christmas and New Years. No Flex Time or working from home. Company needs to seriously review this to be competitive, be "relevant." If other agencies and clients can do this, why can't we? Benefits: General benefits are comparable to other agencies. However, AT DOES NOT offer continuing education benefits. Financial management: Company spends a ridiculous amount of money sending people to SXSW, Cannes, Africa, etc., or projects (Icons.Health) whose promoted benefits are not as tangible to the rest of the agency. Perception is that these are reward trips for the "in" folks and are generally useless for the general agency. It doesn't help with recruitment, public relations or competitiveness with other agencies. It has fostered resentment, especially because these are executed with secrecy (poorly) until after the trip when there is a faux presentation to spin the trip and its benefit for the agency. Stop doing these until there are real, tangible benefits. Use the money to improve your culture, not erode it further. Layoffs: Company had a significant force reduction, which seems like an annual event. Expense reports are often appropriately and sometimes necessarily scrutinized, but when you are travelling together for 2-3 days, the company shouldn't be so stingy when you grab a drink at the bar together after a long day. Even if you don't get "snacks" to go along with the drinks. We would rather you pay for our drinks than send people to Cannes business class to film a video that a small number of people actually watch. Calculate the ROI. AT's reputation used to be top within the healthcare advertising industry. Now it's the Area 23s, Razorfishes, Intouches, FCBs. Lately, employees quit without having a job. They are just that done. AT, with a lot of change and conscientious action, can be a good agency again.
