Days after Omnicom closed its acquisition of Interpublic Group, U.S. employees returned from Thanksgiving break to a harsh reality: thousands of layoffs, dissolved agencies, and a new benefits package that workers describe as “the worst [they’ve] ever had.”
Employee handbooks and benefits documents obtained by ADWEEK show the new Omnicom’s policies are a significant downgrade from IPG’s legacy package in the U.S.
Those coming from IPG will lose a number of paid vacation days while trading in for reduced parental leave and holiday time, new severance limits, health plans that can result in higher costs, and a return-to-office requirement that affects raises and severance eligibility.
As one former IPG business manager told ADWEEK, “It’s the worst benefits package I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Three legacy IPG employees spoke with ADWEEK on the condition of anonymity about how insiders are reacting to the new benefits package.
Omnicom declined to comment on the changes to employee benefits.
Goodbye, guaranteed 401(k) match
Among all the benefits outlined in Omnicom’s materials, workers say the 401(k) overhaul is the most shocking.
Under IPG’s former plan, employees received a 50% match on up to 6% of their contributions, vesting over three years and hitting every pay period, plan documents show. It’s a system several workers described as predictable and “trustworthy.”
Omnicom’s plan, however, includes a fully discretionary match of up to 50% on just 5% of contributions, paid once a year and only for employees still on payroll on December 31.
“The fact that it’s discretionary is disgusting and feels weird,” the IPG business manager said. “It’s decided at the end of the year if you actually get it or not.”
The new structure undermines long-term financial planning, according to a former IPG health creative. “You don’t have a guaranteed [match] rate,” they said. “It hits at the end of the year, so you don’t get the benefit of consistent time in the market.”
“It’s a huge, huge cut,” said a former IPG employee who works in media. “It’s just so bad.”
PTO and holidays disappear
IPG’s 2024 employee handbook, reviewed by ADWEEK, shows employees across many of its agencies had unlimited paid time off (PTO). Offices were closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s, as well as during an August Appreciation Week. Staffers also got Election Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day off, plus monthly wellness days.
Omnicom’s new structure wipes much of that away. Employees now receive a set 10 to 15 vacation days, depending on tenure, with strict accrual rules and no floating holidays, no holiday closure periods beyond the actual holiday, and no wellness days. The maximum amount of annual vacation is 20 days, reserved only for those who have been at the company for more than 10 years.
A source familiar with the transition said the new holiday calendar will not take effect for IPG employees until 2026, but ADWEEK was unable to verify this with Omnicom.
The business manager estimated that former IPG employees had a total of 38 days off between holidays and wellness days. The new Omnicom package is “a 60% decrease in days off that aren’t PTO,” they said.
One detail stunned staffers the most: if an employee takes vacation the day before or after a holiday, they won’t be paid for the holiday.
“It’s probably the worst PTO package I’ve ever had,” said the media employee.
Parental leave slashed from six months to 10 weeks
Under IPG, birthing parents could combine short-term disability, state family-leave programs, IPG’s Employee & Family Leave, parental leave days, and unpaid FMLA to reach as much as six months of time off post-birth. The leave could be taken in segments, allowing parents to divide caregiving time or coordinate with partners.
“You could work it out with your partner, and be there for your kids as best as you both can,” the business manager said.
Documents obtained by ADWEEK show Omnicom offers 10 total weeks of paid parental leave, which must be taken as a continuous block and used within 20 weeks of birth, adoption, or foster placement. The policy also requires employees to exhaust all state or disability benefits before Omnicom pays anything.
“We’re going from a flexible, maximum six months to a rigid, not flexible, 10 weeks,” said the business manager. The media employee added the new policy is “so absolutely cruel to the workers and their children.”
Healthcare costs rise for “lower quality” coverage
Workers described IPG’s healthcare plans as comparatively affordable, with multiple options — including inexpensive HMOs — and single combined deductibles that made costs easier to manage. Several employees said they previously paid into UnitedHealthcare or Cigna plans that felt “straightforward” and less confusing than what they are now being offered.
According to Omnicom’s 2026 benefits materials, employees will have access to four Aetna medical plans: an EPO option, a Premier PPO with a lower deductible, a Health Savings Plan and a high-deductible HSA-eligible plan. Workers told ADWEEK the lineup is more limited and more expensive, with some plans carrying higher premiums and separate deductibles for medical and prescription drugs. Employees may also opt into a more expensive plan with broader out-of-network coverage.
“It’s generally more expensive for lower quality care,” said the health creative. “If you do want the premier package, it’s notably more expensive.”
Return to office–or forfeit your severance
IPG did not enforce a return-to-office mandate before the acquisition, according to employees; many teams operated fully remote or hybrid.
Several workers said Omnicom’s policy, which requires employees to be in-office three days per week with a stated intent to move to five, represents an abrupt cultural change. Managers have been instructed to begin bringing in teams immediately.
The policy also allows Omnicom to deny raises and promotions to employees who do not comply, and explicitly states that workers terminated for violating the policy are not eligible for severance.
The business manager described it as “jarring,” while health creative added that Omnicom “is obsessed with RTO [return to office].”
Omnicom’s severance policy in general is also less favorable than IPG’s, providing roughly one week of pay per year of service, capped at 12 weeks for employees with five or more years of tenure.
IPG’s domestic employee termination policy, reviewed by ADWEEK, guaranteed employees two weeks’ pay after three months of service, three weeks at two years, and an additional week of salary for each year through their 14th anniversary. Workers there for more than 14 years earned two extra weeks per year — a structure that could easily exceed 20 or 30 weeks of pay.
“It’s the worst severance package I’ve ever seen,” the health creative said of the Omnicom plan.
Workers describe a breaking point
Many employees are interpreting the new benefits package as an attempt to push people out voluntarily, in addition to the 4,000 staffers already cut from the combined company’s ranks. Omnicom declined to comment on potential future layoffs.
“I’m fully expecting to get laid off or fired in the next six to 12 months,” said the media employee. “I don’t think Omnicom is going to keep most of us around.”
The business manager pointed out that younger talent is especially disheartened. “Younger talent who entered the industry in the last couple of years have only ever experienced layoff after layoff for pretty blatant shareholder value gains,” they said. “We’re at the precipice of it not being sustainable for employees.”
Some employees said the upheaval has revived conversations about organizing.
“I’ve probably talked to three people about unionization in the last couple of days,” said the business manager. “With the way these holding companies are operating, it’s so clearly a race to the bottom.”
“Workers are shafted in every possible way,” the media employee said, adding that the real obstacle is leverage. “If we went on strike, they’d replace us in 30 seconds.”