Current associates have expectations for how partners communicate that vary markedly from those of their decade-ago peers. They demand more openness, honesty and compassion. Stealth layoffs are highly visible internally and run counter to these expectations. They would cause profound and lasting damage to the respect associates have for partners and firm leaders, with consequent impact on motivation and loyalty. …
It’s clear that today’s associates would see stealth layoffs as management failing to take responsibility, being dishonest and lacking compassion. They’d exact a heavy toll on relationships with partners and leaders, and thus on motivation and ultimately firm productivity and vitality.
— Hugh A. Simons, formerly a senior partner and executive committee member at The Boston Consulting Group and chief operating officer and policy committee member at Ropes & Gray, suggesting that open layoffs would be preferable to stealth layoffs for today’s generation of Biglaw associates.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.