‘Help Offered’ Ad

A subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Atlantic Richfield has been running an unusual twist on the help wanted ad--a sort of “help offered” pitch.

The advertisement, which has appeared in the Western edition of the Wall Street Journal and in the Denver newspapers, urges managers to consider some of Arco’s “valued employees” who are losing their jobs because of a corporate restructuring.

Arco announced in January that it will consolidate its Arco Oil & Gas Co. and Arco Exploration & Technology Co. subsidiaries into one operation, called Arco Oil & Gas. The restructuring will eliminate about 1,000 jobs in the Dallas area and another 300 jobs when the company closes a district office in Denver, although about half of the Denver employees are expected to transfer to other offices.

The advertisement focuses on the company’s Denver employees--from secretaries and clerks to engineers and geologists--that are being displaced by the reorganization. The Dallas operation is preparing a similar ad to be run within the next week or so, a spokeswoman said.

“The thought here is we’ve got a lot of good employees without jobs and we’ve got one way or another to let employers know about them,” said Jim Theis, manager of employee relations for Arco Oil & Gas in Denver.

In the advertisement, headlined “Memo to Management,” Arco says that its restructuring “has resulted in the displacement of many Denver-based, high-quality managerial, professional and clerical employees. These employees are available immediately for employment in your organization.”

Theis said response to the ad has been good. The company also is providing psychological and employment counseling.