Goodbye Manifesto: Well, the swirling of the toilet has finally come to end. It has been a long time coming. Frankly (no pun intended) , I can’t believe ERT made it this long! It’s almost comical how we were able to hang on by the skin of our teeth. “Business Development” (I use that term loosely) would always bust out some random, crap contract that promised unattainable results and we were so happy to sell ourselves for below industry standards! The only reason our talented, seasoned and successful reps stuck around was for the flexibility ERT offered! I am thankful for that since it allowed me to have family and get my kids into school, all while maintaining a career with flexibility. Most PDI Shared Sales, oh I mean, ERT reps, swallowed their pride (embarrassment) on the daily representing PDI. We took pride in our knowledge of the products and customer service rather than the company on our nametag (which we purposely didn’t wear). From the dumb dumb DM’s too afraid to go to bat for their reps, to Denise in training who is complete embarrassment in front of EVERYONE, to Business Development who couldn’t land anything substantial, to Upper Management who were unimpressive in front of clients….the system was broken. We, the reps, were set up to fail. The driving force of business had our hands tied with bad lists, no see’s, no coverage, NO SAMPLES, no shared practice, no deletes, no adds. Nothing. Yet, somehow, those who pulled magic out of special places and MADE it happen…didn’t get paid their bonuses. So, congratulations to PDI Top Management! You have successfully managed to dissolve an entire division, one which had the fiercest, savviest and most talented reps out there. To the reps – you shouldn’t be concerned because you have the skills to carry you far... to Frank and Joe…I’ll see you in the unemployment line. Muah!
GoodBye Manifesto Part 2: Upon further thought, I have more points I would like to touch on. In the broken system of spineless managers, a useless training department, no new business and reject Top Management, the reps are the only ones blamed and held accountable! We were treated like the problem when in actuality we were the only ones who were making things happen! Questions we asked were left unanswered, our emails not responded to, list clean ups that took way too long, payroll concerns not addressed. Yet, when they needed something from us, it had to be done immediately, or else! Where was managements accountability? There was no reciprocation in this relationship! Simply put, it was unfair. With all the information and field intelligence we had to offer, of course we were never consulted or even taken seriously because that would make too much sense! What kind of company doesn’t tap into their resources? Oh yes, PDI ERT, the one that Publicis dropped like a hot potato! Instead, we were hushed. They treat us like idiots and put restrictions on us. “Don’t bring up the issues, you’re not allowed to contact anyone other than your own DM, don’t dare communicate with the clients reps, spend hours working that you are not paid for but don’t complain”. So, they treat us poorly, give us no support, take away resources, give us crap to sell and we STILL continue to work hard and perform! Ill admit, they did have me questioning it sometimes but, in my opinion, the real idiot is the one who calls a client conference call and there is not enough room for everyone to join the line! All I know is how incompetent ERT upper management looked to us, I can only imagine how they presented to current and potential clients! Clients who were used to working with functioning companies! I’m sure that is why our contracts always ended early or never came in the first place. So, I think PDI owes the reps a big thank you! At least now when I tell people who I work for, I won’t have to follow it up with my list of excuses why!
Well said! I was laid off with the 12/31/15 group. Anyone know if we will receive earned 4th quarter bonus on 03/21/2016?
Very well put! Thanks for posting! If anyone knows if and when we will get our Q4 bonus from BI please post the information! I wish you all the best!
A short comment for the swirling toilet writer... beautifully expressed. Question. Were we paid for all the calls that were refused to sign on this last paycheck. In the past, I was told (?) that rtf calls took longer to pay and had to be ok'd by DM which would entail (a) future check(s),as would any forthcoming bonus payout. Don't worry, I am not holding my breath waiting for any of this. I am fully aware of the duplicitous nature and low standards of intelligence of these people (oh, and it was great hearing the little aside about that dumb, low class bitch Denise Artache--I did not realize others were aware of her deficiencies. Haha, can you believe she found some poor guy to actually marry her? Good luck to him, he'll need it)
SO TRUE! I gave up working for them along time ago, oh, I stayed on the payroll but didn't work! Loved the tax free mileage, that was about it. Yes, Denise A was one of my first introductions to PDI, what a piece of crap trainer she was! It was a great ride and long vacation! I loved taking long breaks, hey, as long as I had my iPad with me, calls were made....from Hawaii to Mexico, loved it!
