PlattForm’s been slowly going downhill for years, but now it's sprinting.
Pros
PlattForm was a blessing during my first couple of years. I took a 30% pay cut in order to get into the advertising world, and I was happy to do so. I became close to many team members and produced some lifelong friends. Life was good. Current perks: -Decent amount of PTO -Fantastic coworkers for the most part -Relaxed dress code -Management generally doesn't micromanage -The company makes profit hand over fist, and it's not going anywhere (quite stable, even with recent industry-related scares) -They’re willing to take a chance on those with no experience (they have to at the salaries they offer) -Free soda -Plenty of free parking (it’s in Lenexa)
Cons
As time went on, I became more and more bogged down with work, often staying an hour or two after most others went home. Some teams would always seem to have plenty of time on their hands; enough to constantly play ping pong & Mario Kart, or to just run up and down the hallways yelling like children. Poor employees were given promotions while promises of promotions & better compensation came and went for me. Seniors & up were transferred to our team from declining teams, effectively nullifying promotions for most of us for a long time. Fast-forward to 2013/14: New ownership. New CEO. We’re told by management that Sterling Partners is aware of PlattForm’s inadequacies and is committed to providing more competitive pay and various other improvements. Strike one: Healthcare premiums went from being completely covered to only partially covered, with less than 3 weeks’ notice before the changes went into effect. It would’ve been much more palatable if they'd made an early announcement that this was going to change during the FOLLOWING fiscal year. The reason we were given: there were a couple of million-dollar medical claims as well as more pregnancies than most companies of similar size. Human Resources seemingly did not shop around for cheaper insurance rates as they’ve done in the past. Will PlattForm take on a larger percentage of premiums again in the future if costs go back down? Unlikely. The popular wellness incentive program was also scrapped at this time, stealing 5 yearly vacation days from most employees. Thank goodness for the soda machine! Strike two: Many PlattFormers were laid off in April 2014. As unlucky employees (some of whom should NOT have been laid off) were plucked from their cubes by various managers, our new CEO was hanging out in the hallway cracking jokes and laughing while we mourned for our colleagues. It was not a good day, and the whole situation could have been handled so much better. Strike three: My 2014 raise was one of the worst I've received during my professional career - in both dollars and percentage. This was supposedly implemented company-wide. We all know how much profit they make. We see the numbers. There’s no reason why PlattForm can’t afford to take care of its employees. “Sterling Partners is committed to providing more competitive pay.” It has become clear that PlattForm has shifted its focus in the wake of Sterling’s acquisition. The powers that be no longer truly care about their employees. They want to make a buck by any means necessary - end of story. Michael Platt and Dave Admire had their shortcomings, but they are sorely missed. Current cons: -Pitiful compensation vs. similar companies (my current employer balked when I told him my salary) -Deteriorating benefits -Poor decision-making and communication from HR and C-level management (post Platt/Admire/Booth-era) -Employee retention is a massive issue, making work more difficult for those who haven't yet migrated to Intouch -It is absolutely the least-creative advertising agency in the country -High school atmosphere (goal-setting, required book-reading, quasi-mandatory “fun”, etc.)
