"It's a small token" - the past week at work

Monday

During the morning I went into the quiet room and did some amendments to the German campaign for our toy client. This is the biggest piece of work we have on at the moment, and so is very good for my position in the agency. I get on well with the client because I always write a full justification for every single aspect of the advertising (choice of media, creative rationale, collateral back-up etc).

I was so busy on this work that I forgot to go to lunch on time.

So it was a shock to wander into the account executives' room and hear that Andrea (Account Director) had resigned. She came out of a meeting with Yvette (agency head, a monster) looking very tight-lipped and announced she was leaving. She began clearing her desk and because I didn't know what else to do I gave her a small cardboard box I use to keep magazines in.

Then Yvette asked me into her office and officially told me the news.

"I suppose you're wondering if you'll get her car" she said.

This had been the last thing on my mind. I told her I already had a car and didn't want another one. Yvette said we would talk again about Andrea's clients.

I went back into the account exec's room. Terry (head of the PR division upstairs and our ultimate boss) appeared looking dazed. He went into Yvette's office and shortly afterwards Andrea was called in to join them.

Later it was announced that Andrea would work a month's notice in the PR office upstairs.

Tuesday

Terry's wife Diane is to move into one of the unused small offices on our floor (she runs a small business and works three days a week). It is obvious that she is doing this to keep an eye on the agency as normally she uses one of the "hot desks" upstairs. Perhaps Terry and Yvette are falling out.

Often today I wondered whether I should leave on the same day as Andrea. I know I do not want to go on working at the agency. And I am not enthusiastic about having to pick up Andrea's client list (we almost certainly will not recruit anyone new).

Wednesday

One of the (many) downsides of Andrea's resignation is that with the air of crisis it is impossible to arrive late in the mornings. When I arrived this morning Yvette was looming over Andrea who was sat at her desk. Andrea was sent home to collect agency property she has supposedly stolen - when she returned all she had were a few innocuous papers.

Then Andrea was sent upstairs to help Val's admin team.

At lunchtime Jonathan (copywriter) suggested we went for a drink. We went to the Two Brewers. He announced it was his birthday, but this was an incidental comment. He mainly wanted to talk about conditions in the agency. He thought that with Andrea gone he would become the main target of Yvette's bullying. We reached a loose agreement that if either of us was attacked we would act together to protest.

Later that afternoon we all gathered in the general office where Yvette gave Jonathan a present Eleanor (trainee account executive, working out her notice) had bought earlier.

Handing Jonathan the gift-wrapped package Yvette said: "It's a small token of our appreciation - actually it's quite a big token when you consider our appreciation..."

We all laughed politely.

Late afternoon Martin, Julie's brother and Andrea's former boyfriend, arrived asking for Andrea. He was wearing a suit, a red T-shirt, black shoes. Julie was out. Eleanor told him Andrea no longer worked in the office (technically true, although she was only upstairs). He asked if he could wait and sat down in a chair, reading a martial arts paperback. After about half an hour he left, telling Eleanor and myself that the army was transferring him soon (presumably he wanted us to pass this information on).

Thursday

The agency has become very silent following Andrea's resignation. The atmosphere one of boredom mixed with tension. Julie (trainee account executive) has become very withdrawn.

During the morning I met with a German media buyer. She told me that the best-selling magazines in Germany are television listings. "There is tremendous personal wealth in Germany" she said.

Towards the end of the working day I was asked into Yvette's office to discuss Andrea's client list. I expressed disquiet at the way Andrea was being treated. We talked for quite a while, although not acrimoniously. Yvette told me that she was hoping Eleanor would stay on at the agency. She also wanted Katharine (Terry's PA upstairs) to join us as a trainee account exec. For the time being she intends to handle Andrea's client list herself (which was a relief as I was afraid of having them dumped on me).

Friday

The mystery solved today about why Yvette's car alarm keeps going off. She parks it in the mews at the back of our building. The assistants in the photographic studio on the ground floor have been sneaking out into the mews, rocking the car until the alarm goes off, then rushing back inside again. Yvette caught them this morning red-handed. She apparently told their boss that she wants them sacked. She came back up to our floor seething with anger.

I helped Jonathan with some copywriting and Julie with some media research.

Yvette out all of the afternoon at an awards ceremony (nothing very special).