ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
A legal practitioner has made the egregious decision this week to inform the firm’s HR department that she’s having some problems managing her workload and that is getting her down.
Informing the company brownshirts that things aren’t going very well inside her spirit, 4-PQE Emma Danes thought she was doing the right thing by her clients by putting her hand up and asking for a bit of a blow.
However, after coming face to face with the firm’s sturmabteilung in a meeting yesterday evening, the 25-year-old has told The Advocate that she now regrets it.
“They immediately took me off the more important and interesting work and gave me the most mind-numbing shit a paralegal can do,” she said.
“I shouldn’t have said anything. They’re going to manage me out. Force me into resigning before I lose my mind. That way they won’t have to pay me out anything. My contract is up in June, too, they won’t be renewing it or they’ll ‘invite me to apply’ along with other internal and external candidates. I should’ve just put in leave and gone to Europe for the shoulder season.”
The firm, Shaft Gooch & Bunghol, acknowledged in a short statement to The Advocate that their HR department has the firm’s best interests at heart but not at the expense of the well-being of their precious and irreplaceable staff.
“At Shaft Gooch & Bunghol, we pride ourselves on fostering an inclusive, empathetic, and synergistic workplace culture, where our HR function is committed to optimising both employee satisfaction and organisational performance. As we recognise RUOK Day, we want to affirm that our people are our greatest asset – disposable, completely replaceable, and, of course, fully aligned with our strategic vision,”
“While the firm understands the importance of staff mental health, it is our fiduciary responsibility to maintain a high-performance environment. Rest assured, our HR department operates with the highest integrity and will carefully consider any concerns raised, while also proactively identifying opportunities for individuals to explore new challenges outside the organisation if necessary,”
“In short, we have our team’s back – and if that back starts to buckle, we will make sure to ease your transition as part of our unwavering commitment to holistic workforce well-being. After all, there’s no “I” in “team,” but there is a place for a seamless exit.”
More to come.
