Before the Zoomers roll their eyes and say you are ‘delulu’ and need ‘solulu’ and slam-dunk us with more unheard terms like ‘bussin’, ‘winter coating’, ‘touch grass’ and word of the year ‘rizz’, the term ‘ghosting’ has made its ways to almost everyone’s language in the corporate corridors.

Go on and admit it, you never thought it would happen right?

From the dating world, where it is often the worst term to the workplace, where it is arguably one of the most despised terms.

The search bar simplifies ghosting as ‘when someone who used to be friendly or romantic with you suddenly cuts off all communication without explanation.’

And its relevance and rampant usage in the workplace suddenly makes perfect sense?

But it’s not the meaning or relevance that is of significance. As always what needs to be called out is how ghosting is being normalised and how it is covering up for cowardice, inefficiency, unfairness, powerplay and corruption. While this is rampant across industries one can only focus on a few. So, let’s try the favourite adland and their close allies like the entertainment, media and client universe?

Where does ghosting happen? Funnily ghosting is something that the agency ecosystem both receives and doles out in equal measures. It’s contrarian, but the vicious cycle is a rut that they cannot shrug off.

Let’s start with what the agency business is often receiving from the client in the name of pitches. The clients are Raison d’etre for the agency business. While the seriously professional client partners still hold a whopping majority, the rise of a breed of an untalented lot needs to be called out who very often ‘test’ agency partners via pitches, keep them hanging on false pretexts often for months, bully and eventually reject.

Here’s a possible scenario.

Pitch bazaar: So, I am Mr/Ms client, pompous, freshly minted with a fake sense of entitlement and to distract from my obvious chequered reputation and low capabilities as a marketer, I go idea shopping (read stealing).

Agencies pitch.

I act even more high-handed. My moment of being a demigod and I use terms like ‘circle back’, which of course I don’t. As my interest may range from many unsaid things, my decision is certainly not based on capability and merit. And the ghosting begins.

The process of structured feedback, and polite thank yous are rarer than the endangered Assam Rhino. All agencies are facing these challenges and looking the other way. Toxic relationships can certainly take shape here. What adds to the wounds is when the pitch ideas are stolen and used. Ideas, rates, deals, associations, almost everything is toyed with, and it is not right. The sheer unfairness of it is beyond frustrating.

Agencies must unite and blacklist such practices.

And what are the agencies themselves doing in the arena of ghosting?

Sound of silence: The other area is identified either as an employee or as a prospective employee. Often to create redundancy, ghosting becomes an easy tool.

An employee suddenly being cut off from communication, involvement or not getting feedback are sure shot signs that the ghosting is being used to create an arena for elimination. Ghosting also happens on uncomfortable questions around appraisals, raises, future planning, gender, diversity and more such critical aspects of work life. And if you are a hopeful applicant (never mind your level) post-interview, post-application, post-conversation or purely ignoring, are all possible ghosting methods when one is approaching for a job. Either way, it all hurts if you are at the receiving end. This silence is certainly not golden.

Deliberate delays: Now there is another slice to ghosting. When deliberate delay is a way of life for the agency. It’s about payments and collections. The cat and mouse chase in the name of interest-earning. Many a pitch is won based on how long are you willing to wait as an agency, or you as a producer will secure the next TVC, or you as a vendor will get the next project. Wait, beg, grease. And the merry-go-round takes another spin. All this with a fistful sprinkling of ghosting.

Ghosting is unpleasant. In both personal and professional worlds. And unpleasantness, if allowed to grow unrestrained, is damaging. Nothing fresh or unique about it so the quicker it is nibbed off; it will help everyone.

Till then who are you going to call dear adlander? Any Ghostbusters on the horizon? Currently, think not but who knows, soon the leaders will start saying ‘ain’t afraid no ghost’ as the song said too.

Shavon Barua is an independent brand curator. In her last full-time agency stint, she was chief client officer at PHD India.

This blog first appeared in the August issue of Manifest. Get your copy here.