Following a round of layoffs at Anomaly’s New York office last month, the agency has implemented furloughs, salary reductions and reduced work schedules, with at least one of these measures applying across each of its offices.
“Virtually every member of staff has helped the collective one way or another,” according to Anomaly founding partner and executive chairman Carl Johnson.
In a statement, Johnson explained that Anomaly had implemented the measures to ask virtually all of its staff to take appropriate measures to help avoid further layoffs, with those with lower salaries more likely to be impacted by furloughs and more senior employees, including global partners, more likely to see reduced salaries and work schedules.
“Like any significant agency, with 700+ staff in offices across the globe, we are using nearly all the levers very carefully and considerately to manage costs in uncertain times for the agency, the industry, our clients and the global economy,” Johnson said.
“Our overall philosophy with respect to talent is to ask lots of people to give a little, in order to keep everyone employed—so government-supported furloughs or no change for those at the lower end of salaries, shorter working weeks or pay cuts for the more highly paid, including all the partners globally,” he added, explaining that pay cuts would range from 10-15% for mid-level employees through partners. “Our staff have been amazingly understanding as they believe in the ‘greater good’ and our desire to leave this period stronger not weaker. To that end we are still making a few very key strategic hires but that is the exception.”
Furloughs range from one to three months, with “every expectation of bringing employees back once that time has passed,” Johnson claimed. He declined to elaborate on the percentage of employees furloughed.
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