The figures for January are dire - the past week at work

Monday

It was impossible to go to work today - the landscape was white with snow and it was bitterly cold - a painful sort of cold.

So I spent the day writing copy and did some of my best work for a long time.

Tuesday

The monthly agency meeting was held with Terry (our MD and owner of the business). The meeting had been scheduled for yesterday, but had been cancelled because so few people had made it into the office. At the meeting were Terry, Andrea (my immediate boss) and myself.

Nigel (ex-student and temp hoping to become trainee Account Exec) came into the room and sat down with his folder, but Andrea told him he didn’t need to be at the meeting.

The figures for January are dire. The agency had been set up on the expectation that a limited number of clients (mostly Terry’s existing PR clients) would spend their advertising budgets with us. These billings have not materialised, which is why Andrea has been so frantically trying to get new clients on board.

Terry told us we have three months to turn the situation round. He did not expand on what would happen if things were not turned round. Rachel (works upstairs) has told me privately that Andrea and myself would be moved back up to the main agency and everything else closed down.

Wednesday

A day of processing ads. The agency seemed to be functioning properly without any staff dramatics. Andrea’s computer failed, so she took over Nigel’s leaving him with nowhere to work.

In the morning a visit to the shambolic Peter B to discuss his latest advertising - we always worry whether he is going to pay the bill.

Andrea asked my advice about what to do about Nigel. It was obvious that she wanted me to support her recommendation to Terry to get rid of him. “He is going to be a problem unless we can put Terry off the idea of giving him a permanent job” she said.

In the afternoon I went with Terry to see another one of his clients. We sat at a board table in a room surrounded by toys. We went through the presentation and the client just said yes at the end of it (if only all pitches were this easy).

Thursday

Again the weather was too bad to get to London. I left at the usual time and drove about six miles on compacted snow, this taking me about an hour. Rather than continue I decided to go home again and work over the remote connection.

Friday

More snow, but there had been a thaw yesterday afternoon and the road surfaces were actually visible. I had a day’s holiday, and went into London to meet friends. I allowed myself five hours for this journey, but actually it didn’t take much more time than usual.