Had a team member submit work that was blatantly plagiarized. I'm not sure how to approach this. Do I address it head-on, or try to educate them more gently on the consequences?

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Way back when I was an AD, there was a writer that would steal my partner’s and my work off the printer then grab an earlier slot with the ECD and present our ideas within his deck. He’s now a CCO. Address it head on. Those actions have an impact.

likeuplifting

But there are some many ccos. Which one in particular?

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Start gentle but land on the head on. Might as well begin with benefit of the doubt and maybe that’s enough, but if the conversation goes south then yes head on for sure. Just how plagiarized are we talking here, was Just Do It an option?

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Tagline exercise? How about ba da ba ba ba I’m lovin it

funny

Scorched earth. Adults shouldn’t have to be educated on ramifications of stealing.

If it’s your employee and you can prove it, 100% grounds for firing.

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Yeah it’s grounds for firing. Had you submitted it to a client, had them buy it, then found out after, you’d have to go back and get major egg on your face. This sort of thing is serious and could severely hurt the agency‘s business.

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Definitely address. Potential to look like idiots in the end. Clients can google too.

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For reasons that range from legal (eternal IP if stolen from an outside source or employment law, if internal) to ethical to team morale, you have to address this quickly, but in a very measured way. Step one is to loop in HR or your firm’s employment lawyer and request advice on how to proceed (the person’s termination is a real possibility here, so tread with care). Chances are step two, as others have suggested, is to ask the question and see if they understand this was a lift and, if so, why that’s against policy. What others haven’t pointed out is you absolutely have to document asking the question and what the response was in writing. Step three is going to depend on what you hear and the kind of, obvious factors that go into performance decisions in any case. Good luck, but particularly if you’re in a state like CA or NY, do not mess around trying to suss it out by yourself. Long ago, after a nasty incident, my old firm brought in a top as lawyer to spend a day scaring the shit out of us on the liabilities that can come from something just like this (and other joys, like not using rights-cleared images and music). As you can see, it stuck with.

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Ask them about it first. Could have been dumb luck or an accident. But if it’s on purpose then that’s fireable.

You can’t do anything but ask the question. Maybe it’s blatant to you, but maybe they didn’t know. Either way, you have to start by asking.

Take it to this person personally, but be firm. Give them a chance to make it right. But also understand that it’s not the first time they’ve done it, it never is.

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