Tag: layoffs

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Why I Don’t Write About Layoffs Anymore

For the past several months, you may have noticed that news of layoffs has been absent from the Idaho Ad Agencies blog.  And it’s not an accident.

Several months ago, I made a conscious decision to stop writing about “layoffs, downsizing, staff reductions” or whatever other name you want to call it.  Why?  A few different reasons.

There’s enough layoff news going around already.  For the past year (and more), news of layoffs has been everywhere.  Name the medium, name the industry — it was there.  And that sort of news gets old.  Quick.

It puts a spotlight on those who have been affected, whether they’re ready for it or not.

And, quite frankly, it’s draining.  In many cases, these are friends and colleagues, and it’s hard not to let it get to you.

So there you have it.  If you’re looking for the latest layoff news, I’m afraid to say this isn’t the place you’re going to find it.

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Changes at Drake Cooper

Or, a more polite way of saying that the staff size at Drake Cooper has decreased a bit.

A couple of weeks ago, word reached us that there had been layoffs at Drake Cooper.  Of the staff listed on their website, two full-time and one part-time had been let go.  A fourth, a limited-term contractor, also had their project scaled back at the same time.

I had a chance to trade messages with CEO Jamie Cooper about these changes, and he confirmed that they had made cuts, and also provided a little insight into the reasoning behind it:

Slower start to 2009 after a very strong 2008. No big changes other than the economy finally catching us a bit. The other thing I would mention is these moves are also reflective of the change to more digital work in our shop. Our client work in the digital realm (all sorts of work – not just websites) is growing quickly and our staff adjustments need to support that growth.

As has been the case with others, this is an unfortunate reality of the business environment that we’re in.  To those who were affected, give us a shout and we’ll get you listed in the Available Talent section of the website.

I fully expect that Drake Cooper, and other agencies that have gone through the layoff process recently, to bounce back in the near future.  As I’m sure many would agree, I look forward to once again writing about new hires and seeing a rash of job openings in the industry.