Questionable environment during my articling experience

[newbiecat]

Hi,

Broaching this topic with complete anonymity. I am completing my articles at a boutique firm somewhere in the GTA (the practice area will remain nameless). I am my articling principal's very first student. In the beginning, I felt welcomed, and the environment was conducive to my learning. However, there have been significant changes to the overall environment where I work, and I am unsure of the direction of the firm going forward, and how exactly I fit into the overall puzzle. Due to *significant* cost-saving measures and/or the environment before I started, as a result of the leadership that was in place by the lawyer, here are some of the things that I find a little troubling:

1) The lawyer works from home two days of the week, and leaves to go home early on the remaining days they are in the office; this raises challenges when trying to relay messages from clients that have called, and repeatedly assuring clients that they can catch them on the day they're in the office (since calls are not returned on a timely basis when they are WFH) - this has resulted in significant cat-and-mouse, telephone tag;

2) The remaining staff at the office, including myself, and in the absence of the lawyer, clean the office by ourselves (the kind of cleaning that ought to be done by professionals), and have to figure out waste disposal amongst ourselves (including taking it home in the car's trunk and throwing it in their apartment building);

3) Staff is purchasing water, as there is no water dispenser / cooler in the office, and the only alternative is using the washroom sink water - despite the lawyer's knowledge of the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the employees, the lawyer will passively make a comment that we should all use the petty cash available, but this is not meant to be taken seriously - there is hardly ever more than a few coins in the petty cash allotment, and the practice at the firm was to purchase water by the existing staff, even before I joined, so there is reluctance to now start putting an invoice on the boss' desk. Coffee pods and milk is also regularly purchased by the staff, and they are not reimbursed. 

4) Having felt warmer in the office the last couple of weeks, I learned that the reason the A/C is not being utilized is because the hydro bills were a couple hundreds dollars more than it should be, and coupled with the lack of windows in the office and more bodies now that things are opening up, the air is extremely stagnant, and we are discouraged from turning on the A/C, as this is a cost to the firm that can be avoided. It is affecting my ability to concentrate, and I feel restless.

5) Not too long ago, there was a bug infestation in the office. The source of the issue has not been identified, although some further extensive cleaning was done by professionals and we now have these bug-deterring units plugged in which sonically keep the bugs away. The problem has been mitigated, however, at the height of the issue, I would find little beetle-looking things in my workspace almost daily on the carpet, to the point that it was overwhelming and felt hazardous. 

6) There is a general deterrence in the office, in the lawyer's presence, to form any relationship with the other staff. It is not an explicitly set out arrangement, and the environment is such that everyone must remain glued to their work and computers, and one is not at all encouraged to take a break and speak to co-workers openly about anything outside of work, even if it is for a two-minute conversation. In fact, any professional conversation pertaining to our work, must be brief - otherwise we are scrutinized, and this has created a tense environment where we are constantly micro-managed.

7) Lately, upon my entry through the firm's doors in the morning, I am not given more than two minutes before I am called to the office to report to the lawyer regarding something. This means I am pressurized to setting down my things and seeing the lawyer, and often cannot even make my cup of coffee or sip it, which greatly starts the morning on a negative note. There is no "please take your time and see me when you have a moment" - it might be phrased as such, but the expectation is that I am to report right away. 

I am done ranting. I enjoy the work I am doing, and the lawyer has expressed interest in keeping me on. This is why I am inherently conflicted - I do not take any joy in bad-mouthing my superior, but I am beginning to question the long-term viability of me staying here. I am also prepared to take responsibility for the fact that there may be certain boundaries that I need to establish to ensure that the work place is one where one is encouraged to be their best selves, but overall, my sense is that everything that is going on is not typical. Common decency feels more and more scarce, and I am also now slightly frightened by the possibility that when my day to exit one day comes, my decision will not be respected very easily, and being my only reference, that this could heavily impact my career prospects going forward. Looking for any guidance or advice on how I can make the most of my time here.

Edited October 2, 2021 by newbiecat

[TobyFlenderson]

5 hours ago, newbiecat said:

I am also now slightly frightened by the possibility that when my day to exit one day comes, my decision will not be respected very easily, and being my only reference, that this could heavily impact my career prospects going forward. Looking for any guidance or advice on how I can make the most of my time here.

Acknowledging that I'm only a 3L with a half-summer of legal experience, that sounds unusual and, frankly, unappealing (at best). Personally, I wouldn't stay on. Specifically, re: the bolded part of what I've quoted, I'd say this: whether you stay on after articling for, say, a year, or leave after you article, that lawyer is still your only reference. So sticking around an extra 3, 6, 9 months or more doesn't address that concern, which, if it were me, would be a point in the "leave" column. 

Others with more experience may feel differently, but I'd have a really hard time sticking around an environment like that any longer than I need to.

[BlockedQuebecois]

This is a tough one, to be honest.

A bunch of the things OP refers to—staff purchasing coffee, staff purchasing water instead of using an available water source they dislike, a bug infestation that was professionally managed, being asked to avoid turning on the AC—are fair gripes about a work environment, but they're not abusive. They're the kind of perks that make bigger firms more enjoyable (my current workplace has filtered still and sparkling water on tap, free coffee, etc., and it's great), but not the kind of thing you quit over or that are actually morally wrong. 

Then, there are some things that seem totally fair. If your boss wants a morning debrief as soon as you arrive each day, that's fine. You know by now this is your boss's preference, so work around it. Have your coffee at home, drop your stuff in your office, then go to your boss' office and debrief. Have a second brew at work if you want to unwind after. Similarly, your boss can keep whatever hours they want, so long as its not prejudicing the client or your articling experience in a significant way. If the clients mind too much, they'll switch lawyers. 

I think limiting non-work conversations is also relatively fair. As lawyers we're generally expected to manage our own time, and we have professional commitments that make us do so. It's easy to forget that most workers don't have that privilege—they make an hourly wage, and they're expected to be working while they're getting paid. It sounds like you and the lawyer are the professionals in the office, and the others are "staff". If that's the case, it's reasonable that your boss would rather you not spend time chatting with someone she's paying to work during that time. Similarly, if you're inflating billable time by talking about work longer than necessary, that's a reasonable thing for your boss to discourage. 

Finally, there are some things that just make for a depressing work environment. You shouldn't be cleaning the washroom. And even if limiting non-work conversations is reasonable, it's depressing to feel like you're being micromanaged. 

OP, I am a bit unsure about whether you're considering quitting before you finish your articles or simply venting and considering what to do once you're called. I don't think the situation you've outlined warrants quitting before you complete your articles, unless it starts to materially affect your mental health. I also think it's generally better to look for a new job while you have one, rather than declining hireback and looking for a new gig. But that is a call you will have to make around hireback, based on how you feel about the environment and your personal financial situation. 

[Diplock]

I'm struggling with this also. To provide context, it feels only fair to state my potential bias upfront. I've been in sole practice for a number of years, and I've had employees for the last several years. Since starting to employ people, I've been particularly non-receptive to complaints from students on this board (and elsewhere I suppose - but it's here I find it) about expectations in their work environment at small shops. It isn't that I believe anyone deserves to be abused, of course. And let me be clear - I believe I treat my own employees well and they at least express that they're happy and they've been with me for some time so that's something I suppose. But there are certain realities that come with working at a small office much of the time and it seems students may be unprepared for that.

So, while trying to avoid presupposing I really know what's going on, if you want to isolate real issues from the noise, I'd suggest you start with this. Try to filter out your expectations of what a "real" office looks like. You're not working for a firm with a HR department. You're working for one person with all the challenges of managing a practice that employees you, employees others, and pay their own bills too. That isn't necessarily your problem to care about - that would be going too far. But if you're wondering why your work reality doesn't look like Bay Street, the basic advice is to get the hell over it. If you want a job on Bay Street, go find one. If you can't, then accept where you are and learn to make the best of it instead of comparing it to the job you can't get.

Now, it may be that there are legitimate concerns mixed in here with unreasonable expectations. Which is part of why I'm wary of expressing too strong an opinion. Some of the...tone, of these discontents...leaves me wondering. I wonder, for example, how you can complain that your lawyer is absent a good 50% of the time but that you also feel so observed that any kind of casual interactions are frowned upon. But I don't want to allow my skepticism about some things to overwhelm the possibility of other issues being very real.

So, in brief:

Client calls - Short of a scenario where a client's legal interests are being prejudiced, how a lawyer is organized or returns calls is none of your business. If you do believe a client's legal interests are about to be damaged and it's due to some failure within your office, that's a topic to raise urgently with your lawyer and say exactly that. But be aware that's a very extreme thing to suggest. Be sure you're right. Otherwise, leave it alone. If you don't believe the practice is run well otherwise, learn from it and do better when you have your own.

Office cleaning - Past a certain point that could get excessive, but something like emptying the garbage certainly is not. I don't know why people are taking garbage home personally - presumably there's garbage disposal at the office, either within the building or at the curb. That's not the point. If your boss has you scrubbing toilets and that's not what you signed up for, you can and should say something. If it isn't you at all - and it sounds like it isn't - again, that's none of your business.

Coffee, water, etc. - Sounds like a pain, but that's hardly a make or break issue. There isn't a right to free office coffee I'm aware of. And quite frankly, if drinking water that comes from a bathroom sink strikes you as unthinkable, you probably need to reexamine your priorities.

AC - See above.

Bugs - It was dealt with. Shit happens.

Micromanagement - I don't really even understand this one. See comments above. And get some help better interpreting what's going on, because maybe there's a real issue here, and maybe you're just creating issues in your head at this point.

And...doing your job right away - I don't know how to even phrase this issue without implying you're being ridiculous. So I'm sorry for being mean on this one. But you aren't necessarily going to get a job where your boss's attitude towards their schedule and day is to suggest you relax and come interact with them when you most feel like it. That's just...not going to happen.

In summary, it's hard to separate what may be some legitimate issues from what are almost definitely attitude adjustments you have to manage for yourself. Even if you don't stay where you are, you're unlikely to end up in a gleaming Bay Street tower at this point. So the adjustments you need to make will be applicable here or anywhere else you go. If there are real issues, and problems in the work place, deal with them, obviously. But don't mix those with gripes about the reality of a small practice. Doing so will just make you seem ridiculous, and will undermine whatever legitimate issues you may have mixed in there.

 

[epeeist]

Caveat: Part-time solo lawyer, full-time non-legal work, haven't worked at a firm in years.

I partly agree with prior posters, e.g. no free coffee, too bad, but do have concerns about #2, 4 and 5. Not in the sense I can agree or disagree based only on the information provided, but rather that your concerns may have more weight than has been acknowledged. Again, I'm opining inexpertly on incomplete information, don't rely on anything here...

2. In the Covid era, cleaning is important (surface contamination likelihood may not be as high as originally feared, but still). And, if there's no on-site disposal (why not? Diplock suggested there is, but if there is, why isn't it being used?) then people taking garbage home to dispose of raises might raise issues about their own leases or condominium bylaws (i.e. bringing external garbage to dispose of which may affect what condo pays if applicable - not my field, I'm just asking). As prior posters noted, if cleaning is part of someone's job, even if you wouldn't do it okay, but you and others should expect a safe/clean workplace.

4. To oversimplify, HVAC is not just about air cooling (or heating), it's about air circulation and fresh air intake. If the air is "stagnant" and you're having problems, it might - emphasis might, again I'm not going to opine without more details - be a problem in that not only is air not being cooled, but air isn't being circulated, which can be a health matter in terms of indoor air quality - that is, the environment may literally be questionable.

5. Electronic bug repellers don't work. But also relates to #2 cleaning being done by professional cleaners (as you indicate it was on that occasion) not regular employees.

[PalomaBlanca]

On 10/4/2021 at 11:17 AM, Diplock said:

In summary, it's hard to separate what may be some legitimate issues from what are almost definitely attitude adjustments you have to manage for yourself. Even if you don't stay where you are, you're unlikely to end up in a gleaming Bay Street tower at this point. So the adjustments you need to make will be applicable here or anywhere else you go. If there are real issues, and problems in the work place, deal with them, obviously. But don't mix those with gripes about the reality of a small practice. Doing so will just make you seem ridiculous, and will undermine whatever legitimate issues you may have mixed in there.

 

I wonder if OP anticipated someone to reveal that he/she is actually dealing with somewhat of an existential crisis. Love it. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by PalomaBlanca