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An ex-Doner employee by the name of Susan Walsh once again made headlines with her age discrimination lawsuit against the MDC Partners agency last week.
- Walsh’s case, in which she alleges she was wrongfully terminated from Doner due to age discrimination, was cleared to move ahead this week after the Detroit-based agency attempted to dismiss it.
More than just agency gossip: If Walsh ends up winning in court, it could affect agency hiring practices post-pandemic.
- 54% of agency employees with 15+ years in the field said they’ve encountered ageism at work, per 2019 Digiday Research.
- That means some of the 34% of agency employees reporting layoffs and over a third reporting pay cuts at their agencies in another Digiday survey could have perceived ageism as a factor.
Big picture: The fee-based model that keeps agencies alive could be part of the problem. If clients are late on payments—as so many have been during COVID-19’s reign of terror—it might be tempting to cut higher-salaried senior positions before lower-salaried junior ones in order to free up cash.
Looking ahead: If Walsh wins her case, it could spark another industry-wide discussion in 2020—this time about agency ageism.