Ashurst has put 350 London support staff at risk of redundancy and announced it is moving their work to Glasgow.
Staff were given the shock news earlier this week. They were informed that the roles would be axed across all support departments, and 120 new ones would be created in Glasgow within the next 12 months. Apparently they were told they might be able to keep their jobs if they would relocate to Scotland (at least it's closer than India). The firm is also hiring 30 "Legal Analysts" in Glasgow to churn through low-level work currently undertaken by its paralegals, trainees and juniors. No lawyer redundancies are anticipated.
Ashurst is the latest firm seeking to drive down costs via relocation. And it has, like Allen & Overy, been tempted by a juicy grant from a regional investment quango - in this case £2.4 million if it hires 300 people within five years.
Ex-Dundas & Wilson partner Mike Polson, who is heading up the move, guffed that "replicating the culture and quality for which Ashurst is known whilstthrowing loyal staff under the bus driving operational efficiency is undoubtedly an exciting opportunity". Ashurst's support staff are no doubt finding it all very exciting.
Tip Off ROF
Staff were given the shock news earlier this week. They were informed that the roles would be axed across all support departments, and 120 new ones would be created in Glasgow within the next 12 months. Apparently they were told they might be able to keep their jobs if they would relocate to Scotland (at least it's closer than India). The firm is also hiring 30 "Legal Analysts" in Glasgow to churn through low-level work currently undertaken by its paralegals, trainees and juniors. No lawyer redundancies are anticipated.
Or wood not look after its staff |
Ashurst is the latest firm seeking to drive down costs via relocation. And it has, like Allen & Overy, been tempted by a juicy grant from a regional investment quango - in this case £2.4 million if it hires 300 people within five years.
Ex-Dundas & Wilson partner Mike Polson, who is heading up the move, guffed that "replicating the culture and quality for which Ashurst is known whilst
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http://www.sdi.co.uk/news/2013/06/international-law-firm-chooses-glasgow.aspx
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And their new CFO is ex A&O too. Comfy.
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The selection criteria for the redundancies apparently has no reflection on the way staff do their jobs - so no consideration to be given for the late nights worked, weekends lost and personal time and money spent upgrading skills. The team is completely demoralised.
The excellent management team managed to advise the staff about the redundancies AFTER the news appeared in The Lawyer - well done The Lawyer (always the best place to find out what is happening in your firm in advance of actually being formally informed - it's how the staff found out the latest updates on mergers / non-mergers over years!).
When the ex-A&0 contingency moves on to the next firm at least the employees of that firm will know what to expect.
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It is a betrayal of trust. They have put a lot of unbilled work into getting Ashurst where they are today, hoping that the effort they put in would be rewarded not so much by remuneration but secure in the knowledge that there would be recognition of that work and affording them a secure position because of it.
It has all been in vain because despite that fact that Ashurst are where they are, people do not matter (despite what they say on their website).
Comments such as ‘Get on with it’ just shows the kind of attitude people have and it say more about that individual than it does on the people who have contributed to the success of Ashurst.
I myself do not work in law or business services but one thing I would say – get your CV’s out. Do not wait to see if they deem your job necessary – leave and they will find out too late that it was.
Have no trust or allegiance anymore to your company. Look after no one – and that my friends is YOU.
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I think the comments were well put and I can't see why you would attribute those comments to a three year old. Well apart from the fact that using insulting comments suh as yours reduces your argument to the playground.
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By all means continue in your delusion that you are special and that putting in extra hours and hard work will be rewarded by your masters. Without mugs like you business would find it considerably harder to get away with shafting staff.
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Strangley enougth I think the comments were reflecting exactly what you are saying. The orginal comments were saying 'stuff the company' - do not have allegence to them and do what you need to do for yourself. Anybody would feel anger at the realisation that hard work has not been rewarded but I see no reason to be insulting to the poster for saying that.
And why, by the way, do you have to be insulting? It really doesn't enforce your side of the argument but rather brings it down to the level of the gutter.
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My mother was killed in a car crash when I was 9 and my father died of cancer when I was 14.
I had to go through school and colledge and I paid my way in life to get to the position I am now.
Do not presume because people wish to have hard work rewarded that it means they have been wrapped in cotton wool.
It may be because of the anonymity of the comments that you feel you can judge people. All I ask is you think first before posting comments like you have.
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Lose half of a motivated team with loyalties to the company and a desire to work in the best interests of that company and replace it with people who have not. Of the remaining employees - morale will be at rock-bottom so I am sure they will produce great work!!
But, all the law firms are doing it. (Not sure though that these savings are passed on to the clients, or whether it just allows firms to be more competitive whilst retaining partner profits.) Once the out-sourcing and relocations have been maxed out, what then? Because then there will be nothing to differentiate Ashursts from any other firm competing for a client's business. And why pay fees of £500+ per hour when you can get away with half? All law firms will be the same after all.