by Sara Bettoni
The testimony of two former employees of the agency based in Milan: “Sexist messages, situation underestimated”. The agency: «We are always correct»
Comments on the newcomer’s clothing. “One …, I assure you.” Even before she walked out of the job interview, opinions were circulating about her outfit and her physique. With immediate sharing of the photos in swimsuit recovered on social networks. The votes assigned to the décolleté or to the b-side of the colleagues, in a sort of imaginary duel launched to rekindle the virtual discussion. The unfiltered account of the erotic perversions “inspired” by teammates, with more than explicit and unrepeatable terms. The classification of the rear, neatly updated in an Excel file.
The contents of the “80s chat” are emerging these days on social networks, even if the conversations date back to about six years ago. And they have triggered an avalanche of criticisms and controversies that threaten to overwhelm the Milan office of We Are Social, a communication agency.
The chat activated on Skype included «all the male employees, with the exception of the three bosses» says Mario. A former employee of We Are Social, he was part of the online group and actively participated in the discussions. Today, years later, he regrets it and realizes the mistake. And he decided to tell the messages that he exchanged with office colleagues.
The trigger is one of Monica Rossi’s Facebook interviews, nom de plume of a male user (at least so she says) and who knows the publishing world well. On June 9th you publish a chat with Massimo Guastini, advertising executive for two times president of the Italian Art Directors Club. Guastini is without filters. He talks about harassment in the world of communication, a topic that he has actually been dealing with for years. He mentions names and surnames, cites the case of a chat of shame in a famous agency. Shortly after, he is one of the heads of the agency in question to respond personally in the comments and thus reveal the great accused: We Are Social.
He talks about how things went from his point of view and what was done to fix it. More than 300 criticisms, comments, opinions from those who have worked in the Milan office or those who have had similar experiences in other realities follow, as well as just as many shares on Facebook alone.
Among them Mario, a former employee, who told us how it went.
An interview with a former employee, Mario
How long did you stay at the agency?
«From 2017 to 2021. When I arrived, the chat was already born, I don’t know exactly when».
Who was part of it?
«I would say all the straight males of We Are Social. About eighty contacts, on Skype. There was also a chat for women only and one for the rainbow community, but the contents and tones were different: in those we talked about colors and exchanged advice on restaurants. A chat like many others. The male one went further ».
What were we talking about?
«Basically the girls commented on each other. Even before a new colleague arrived, her social contacts, photos in bikinis, the names of any boyfriends were circulating. And then comments on the physique, rankings. Things I’d rather not repeat. I too was the author of some messages».
Did anyone contest this group?
“No, no one allowed himself, at least publicly.”
And you, why did you continue to be part of it and to participate?
«I realized in retrospect the inappropriateness of that chat. I’m not saying this to justify myself, but since I was a kid I’ve been bullied because of my health conditions. In We Are Social I relived the same high school climate, I wanted to be accepted and feel integrated. It was a toxic environment for me, which also hurt my personal relationships.”
Not only was she sick.
“I suffered 1 percent compared to the targeted colleagues”.
What happened when the chat became known?
“The general stampede. Then the chat was deleted. Afterwards, she talked about it almost in a Carbonari way. At that point I started thinking. The matter then emerged several times from 2017 to today, but only now has the name of the agency involved been clearly mentioned”.
What do you think today?
«I think that the testimony from inside is the only way to underline the seriousness of the facts. I apologized to some colleagues. And at the company I work for now, I’m part of the diversity and inclusion team.”
And how did the top management of the agency handle the problem?
«In my opinion they handled the matter late and badly. Only starting from 2020 have some support and awareness actions been carried out and an ethical charter has been published”.
Testimony from a former employee
In addition to Mario, another former employee has decided to expose herself, Erica Mattaliano.
How long did you work at We Are Social?
«Dal 2017 al 2019».
Has she been targeted by the chat?
“I’m not aware of any messages about me, in case I don’t want to know. But that wasn’t the only problem in the agency.”
How did you find out about conversations between male colleagues?
«I talked about some sexist episodes in the agency of which I have been a victim. There The top management’s reaction was to summon me to a meeting in a glass room. The whole agency could see the “challenge” going on, with the HR manager in silence, while my boss yelled at me because he thought I was referencing the chat. At the time I didn’t know anything about it, then I inquired about it».
There were other negatives then.
«There were mobbing dynamics. Four people left because they were burnt out. I myself needed psychological support, not only for work reasons”.
How can we explain the genesis of these problems?
“It was a very young, friendly environment with a camaraderie culture.”
Which then resulted in alarming situations. In his opinion, how was the problem handled by the top management of the agency?
«Those who remained told me that meetings were held to identify those responsible and to bring out other episodes. I myself went to talk to the three founders last week. But the leaders thought that the situation was more under control than in reality. Still, it seems to me that at least two of the three partners have not understood the extent of the problem».
Why does this story emerge only now, years later?
«I think because in those years our sensitivity on these issues was still forming, we were young, there was silence between us and understandable fears. Now we know how to talk about it.”
Agency response
In a note, the agency replies to the allegations as follows: “In relation to the news that appeared in the press – relating to events dating back to the period between 2016-2017 – We Are Social has always condemned any form of discrimination and inappropriate attitudes . We Are Social has always been committed to creating a healthy and inclusive work environment. Over the years, the company has implemented numerous initiatives with qualified partners so that the well-being and protection of people come first”.
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June 21, 2023 ( edit June 21, 2023 | 22:31)
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1 comment
The chats are only the tip of the ice berg, it’s well known internally that women have left because of sexual assault and harassment, many women including myself.
The men always survived and the women always left!