A year ago tomorrow, I was made redundant.
Well, I was told the week before, but tomorrow marks a year since my last day at R/GA.
While I wrote a long post at the time about how positive I was about the whole thing – especially that it was happening to me rather than a junior or a woman or a Person of Colour who normally get impacted by these sorts of decisions – it still blows my mind how well things have turned out for me and my family.
Part of the reason I was so optimistic was because I knew I was going to shout about my redundancy from the rooftops. Hell, even the Guardian wrote about me doing it.
Despite what some on here may think, this was not because I wanted to appear in a national newspaper … oh no, it was for far more practical reasons.
The first was that the more people knew I was available, the more chances I’d have of being considered for work. I mean … come on. I work in advertising, what else was I going to do?
However the second – and possibly more important reason – was I hated how many people felt some sort of shame for finding themselves in this situation.
Shit happens – especially during a global pandemic – so to carry that burden in addition to all the other stuff they have to deal with must make the pressure they’re dealing with unbelievably destructive. I would not wish that on anyone … no one at all. And while I was treated fairly, what makes these situations even worse is that some companies actively encourage people they’ve let go to feel this way … simply because it encourages them to stay silent about what’s happened which lets the company act to clients and the market that everything is fine and dandy when it obviously isn’t.
So my thinking was that by owning my situation publicly, it may help burst this corporately induced shame and reinforce there is nothing to be embarrassed about … especially as the situation ultimately has nothing to do with you – and everything to do with them – even if some companies try to suggest otherwise.
But there was also another reason for my optimism.
Potentially a stupid one.
And that was the last time this situation happened to me, it led to one of the most fruitful and creative periods of my career and I wondered/hoped/mused if lighting could strike twice.
Despite turning 50 [rather than the last time, where I was 35] it amazingly did.
Now I absolutely appreciate how lucky I am.
I also appreciate there are a lot of factors that contributed to this luck.
From the openness of my family to move countries for the 4th time in 4 years … to the wide range of contacts I’d gained thanks to having lived all around the World … to the fact I’m a white male so ‘unfair advantage’ was baked into my career DNA from the very beginning.
But even with all that, the life I now live is in many ways – or at least in many parts – unrecognisable to the one I had when I was let go from R/GA a year ago
From the work I’ve done and do.
To the clients/bands/billionaires I’ve done it for and do it for.
To the immensely talented people I’ve worked with and work with.
To the country I now call home.
Hell, I even managed to get hired and fired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers in that time.
It’s bonkers.
And while I enjoyed my time at R/GA and am grateful for the experience, I’m happier now.
They probably are too … hahaha.
That said, I miss my gang.
Lachlan, Nic, Rach, Anna, Joel, Amar, Erika, Laureen, Bassot, Ed, Hannah, Megan, Nicole, Divya, Arda, Amelia, Severine, Marissa, Insa, Toby, Ben … and the others who helped make my time – and the gang – so much fun, including Anne, Valia, Eduardo and Michael.
What a wonderful bunch of beautifully talented misfits they were/are.
Always demanding … debating … provoking … and making me smarter because of it.
Then again … given all but a couple of them have moved to do other interesting, weird, infamous and famous things, it means that even if I was still there, they wouldn’t be.
Or maybe they would. [Cue mischievous laugh. Hahahaha]
But the point of this post is not just to celebrate a year since a weird day in July … it’s a reminder that life is always changing, moving, evolving and progressing.
However bad a situation may be, it does not mean it will always be that way … even if it feels like it is.
And if anyone worries they are the exception, I want you to know I am here to chat.
Not to convince you you’re wrong.
Or try to solve your problems.
But to listen.
Because not everyone has that and not only is that important … sometimes that’s the first step to getting stronger.
Not to self-reflect or gain enlightenment … but to vent, bitch, moan, complain.
The things some people try to make you feel guilty for wanting to express or think, even though the real reason is because it makes them feel uncomfortable rather than it being bad for you.
And it absolutely is not bad for you.
At least in small doses.
Because as we all know, the first thing you do to treat a scrape is to cleanse the wound … so if anyone thinks this would be useful to you, please know I would be happy to give you a safe space to be your worst without judgement or expectation.
Because the worst times don’t last.
They just feel they do.
So thank you R/GA, I will always be grateful for what you did for me.
Especially on July 10th 2020.
You can reach me here.