Related Posts
Mentor
Anonymous User
How's PwC cyber's work life balance?
More Posts
W south beach or Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale?
I've heard pharma pays well. Is it true?
Looking for Change😊
Chief
Additional Posts in Advertising
Anyone on here worked with Edelman? Pros? Cons?
At what age did you buy your first house?
Anomaly, good move or no?
In West Philadelphia born and raised...
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
I would not ask to be taken off a pitch due to plumbing issues.
AD1, you’re right, we don’t know all the details.
It’s not great but it’s also life. Assuming you haven’t asked off a project before (or recently), should be fine. Will be annoying for the CD/ECD to find someone else last minute or have to pick up the slack themselves, but it’s life and you’re a team. Just let them know ASAP.
Talk to your RM
It’s better to let them know before the pitch work has begun but if you feel overwhelmed and need someone to take over the work you have to do what
You gotta do. Don’t stress yourself out more!
Noted: next time plan your unexpected disaster before the kick off. And if you feel like there might a natural disaster or catastrophic injury in your near future let the pitch team know ahead of time, so PM and creative resourcing can plan accordingly.
Also, there’s a live status sheet everyone can access on the server. You can view it by clicking that link that no one has in that folder no one has access to.
If you don't mind being laid off, ask off it. If you like having a paycheck, don't. That's the economy we live in right now.
Do not tell them any details! Keep it vague!
This is because every CD has been through worse. For example, back in the day, I was on a pitch where my creative partner’s father was in the hospital with cancer, and we stayed up late doing concepts the weekend his father died. He never got to be by his dad in his last moments.
So just say something like “I currently have very stressful things going on in my personal life,” instead of literally describing how stressful plumbing is. Or a white lie works wonders. Just keep it realistic.
Also, come with multiple solutions in-hand. If there’s another art director, ask if that other person can replace you. Or, ask if you can split the work 50/50 with another art director. Or you just work normal hours, get someone else for nights and weekends. Etc.
You should be able to take emergency time off work if something happens in your personal life that makes it hard or impossible to work for a few days. What you can’t really do is take emergency time off from assignments of your choosing, while continuing to work on what you feel like doing. You should call out sick if you really can’t deal.
Before you present a problem be ready to identify some sort of solution. Sorry you are going through this stressful time. You don't need to share details of a plumbing issue. Just share you have a home emergency out of your control. You are invested in ensuring your bring forth the best work. Perhaps that's in a lesser capacity while on this pitch? Or if not possible mention that you understand how timely this is and the requirements of having your full attention which unfortunately may not be possible at this time. In short, be honest but don't complain. Approach with positivity and a good attitude.
Rising Star
Are they expecting stuff Monday?
I wouldn’t look at it as an all or nothing thing. I would let them know (sooner rather than later - always reach out as soon as you see a perceived issue) and let them know you will do your best you are stretched thin and need some help. Guide them by letting them know what you can get done and where you could use some additional support. If you drop off completely it would absolutely look bad because then people are starting from scratch
you’d maybe need to furnish them with some information about why having the plumbers in your apartment was incompatible with working. Noise? Smell? Making coffee? Otherwise they might ask why you couldn’t just do your work while the plumbers do their work.
(Unless of course you’re actually participating in the plumbing project, but that’s not recommended.)
Be honest with the creative lead on the pitch. They may not be thrilled to replace you, but better that then feel completely overwhelmed as you say the week of other work is also ahead. Think of the late nights ahead, the stress of the unforeseen challenges that will inevitably push you to your limits on top of how you already feel. Reading between the lines, you honestly already sound overworked and overwhelmed, plumbing issues aside. Sounds like you need a reset, there’s no shame in that and it absolutely is necessary time to time. Part of trusting people we lean on, is also trusting they know their own limits not to jeopardize the team and team level efforts. And, it takes courage and integrity to be honest about your limits. Showing grit relentlessly will eventually hurt you in the form of burnout.
You don’t need permission from any comment here, do what you need to do for you. They’ll survive, they’ll find a way to continue the pitch work. Only YOU will care enough about YOU to speak up about needing a break.
Hopefully you have a good relationship with your CD that they understand and you’ll be up for the next one. Shouldn’t be a big deal.