High-stress workplaces breed toxicity

“You are ‘online’ 24/7. No exceptions, no excuses”. “Clients expect everything to be done perfectly and delivered yesterday”. “‘I don’t know’ is never an acceptable answer”.

Junior lawyers at US law firm Paul Hastings received a presentation from a more senior colleague a few weeks ago with these statements on a slide. If there were any doubt about the relentlessness of Big Law, here is a reminder.

The sector — alongside top tier banking, consulting and other professional services, where clients pay huge fees for the best advice delivered quickly — is notoriously competitive and known for high pressure workplaces.

But does that necessarily mean these are toxic environments? And do sky high salaries make up for it?

A spokesperson at Paul Hastings said the views expressed in the presentation “do not reflect the views of the firm or its partners”. Yet these are the expectations some senior lawyers in the profession seem to have of their underlings — whether declared officially or not.

Donald Sull, a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and an expert in corporate culture, said in an interview that the “work design” — meaning the content and organisation of tasks, responsibilities and relationships — in these industries “increases the likelihood of toxic culture” although that is not guaranteed.

Often those working in these sectors go into them with open eyes — they flourish in a hypercompetitive situation and the adrenaline rush of resolving the most complex problems keeps them going. In return, they are paid handsomely (newly qualified lawyers at top firms start on more than £150,000) and gain high-level experience that opens doors for a lifetime.

Yet if these are places where employees are abused, disrespected or undermined — or are forced to work in environments that are not inclusive and where unethical practices thrive — the reality is that they are indeed “toxic”, Sull said.

Leaders in high-stress environments need to be aware of the risks at their place of employment — they must be upfront with staff about what is required before joining, sufficient guardrails must be in place to keep behaviour in check and punishments must be meted out if violations occur, Sull added.

Yet every lawyer friend I have spoken to about their working life at major firms in the UK and US have described behaviour that to them is completely normal, but for most people outside of the sector would be toxic.

These included regularly working all-nighters, being expected to respond to emails in the early hours of the morning, being excluded from social engagements for mistakes, being shouted at and belittled in the workplace by bosses and seniors instructing them to miss important personal events should they wish to advance. There are few guardrails or punishments to be found and infractions are dismissed as one-off reactions in high stress situations.

On Fishbowl, the social network for professionals, one associate described corporate lawyers at major firms as suffering from a form of trauma akin to those in abusive relationships, making it impossible for them to leave. In fact, the same firms that have relentless work cultures often rank highly in workplace satisfaction surveys.

Yet, despite the willingness to work at these organisations, and even if you are exceptional at your job, legal professionals are at high risk of burnout. In the UK, two-thirds have mental health issues and 20 per cent are bullied, harassed or discriminated against at work.

US data shows lawyers are twice as likely as other adults to contemplate suicide, according to a study based on a survey of nearly 2,000 lawyers. Those who felt high levels of stress were 22 times more prone to suicidal thoughts than their low-stress counterparts.

Several factors can reinforce bad behaviour.

The “it’s not for everyone” attitude can perpetuate the toxicity. Those who can handle it are given elite status — they are thought of as smart, hard-working, reliable and loyal. Those that can’t are expected to eventually leave or are encouraged to fix themselves — rather than any workplace changing the nature of how things are done.

Incentive plans and rankings tables also keep the status quo in place. The feeling inside law firms is that if staff are happy to take the money, they should not show dissent. Meanwhile, rankings such as those handed out by American Lawyer award status based on highest gross revenues alone which is linked to billable hours.

Breaking the culture also requires altruism on the part of seniors who have been through the mill themselves.

Those who crank out year after year in these workplaces hope it is ultimately worth it — perhaps one day they too could be partner. And if they do, they might remember that while their sacrifices are now being rewarded, that is not the case for many of their colleagues who dropped out along the way.