Publicis Groupe ANZ is preparing for redundancies after exhausting other ways to cut costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The holding group says it has held off on redundancies for as long as possible but there are now 34 roles "at risk" in a small number of agencies.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic putting our people first has been our guiding philosophy; ensuring their safety and well-being, and protecting as many jobs as possible so that our team is in the best shape possible to help our clients through their recovery,” Publicis Groupe ANZ CEO Michael Rebelo says.
Since the middle of March, Publicis says it has been working through three stages to cut costs to protect entry and mid-level employees.
These stages include: keeping expenses and variable costs as under strict control; staff taking annual leave; and voluntary salary reduction of its leadership team including agency CEOs, MDs, leadership teams and senior staff.
In a statement to AdNews, the company says that it has taken "a collaborative and united approach" with the leadership team throughout each stage of the plan.
"We have also been very transparent and regularly shared with our entire team our plan to manage through the pandemic, and our progress.
"As a result, we estimate that our Groupe-wide efforts have helped save around 80 jobs that otherwise would have been affected by the impact of COVID-19."
Publicis Groupe ANZ is made up of more than 1,570 people with the 34 roles at risk making up less than 2% of its workforce.
The company says some of those affected have been redeployed to other agencies within Publicis Groupe and it will continue to look for other transfer opportunities.
To help help people search for new employment, Publicis Groupe’s talent acquisition team has put together a Redundancy Support Program.
This includes information on immediate support such as financial support and money management, exploring new career pathways, and mental health support services; consultations with a talent acquisition team member for advice on where to look for new opportunities, access to industry talent acquisition contacts and preparing for job interviews; and access to online growth learning and development training modules.
Globally, Publicis Groupe announced in April it would implement a €500 million cost reduction plan which was followed by reports in May that job cuts were planned for its UK workforce of 5,000 people.
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