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Any update about vaccination drives sponsored by other law firms? Also, does the firm sponsoring them mean the firm is eyeing a return to office work culture soon?
Can you opt out of the firm vaccination drive?
I agree. No reason for it to be marked trollish. 3 questions were asked and 3 precise answers were give. Does LI believe that lawyers always have to give convoluted responses?
Many firms are looking at tying up with private hospitals and vaccinating their employees this month (first dose) and July (2nd dose) and starting physical office in August. WFH is on it's way out.
Obviously after the two vaccinations law firms are going to discontinue WFH.why do you think tgry are going to such trouble fir vaccinating emplotees?What, because they care?Law firms care?Hahahaha.They are bent on getting lawyers back to physical office one way or the other,only profits matter.
SAM has never ONCE said show up to office physically. You clearly are not part of SAM, as β€œExpected”
While the cynic in me can't help but acknowledge at least an iota of truth in the sentiment that underlies what you've said here, I feel sorry for you (and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way) that you think so little about your firm. Tho, truth be told, I'd have felt the same way about my previous institution of slave and chattel trade, were I still a part of it (which thankfully I'm not), so I don't necessarily fault you for thinking the way you do.

That said, to second what the commenter above has noted, SAM has been nothing short of absolutely caring when it comes to the issue of mandating WFH/WHO. There hasn't been so much as a shred or indication of any proposition at the firm level to discontinue WFH. Not one. The closet that the management has done in this regard is to send out forms for constituents to weigh on the matter -- that is the hallmark of collaboration, and other costs chattel traders would do well to take guidance from, even if not emulate what the firm has done on this front. Having gotten my shot yesterday, I can tell you first hand that the firm left no stone unturned to try and make the process easy, quick and painless (though the aftermath of getting the vaccine can hardly be anything akin to painless, sad to say). The expense and the string pulling that needed to be undertaken for this measure was mammoth!

Not trying to say that everything is rosy at SAM. As other comments have highlighted in prior posts, certain initiatives at the firm, while well intentioned are quite pointless. And work has not been any less hectic - there are of course many aspects of the firm's handling of the pandemic (especially at the level of each individual team, but to a lesser extent, at the firm level) that leaves much to be desired. But this isn't a valid basis to withhold credit where due.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the fact that the firm stands to benefit from this exercise in no way takes away from the altruism and benevolence that the firm has displayed in undertaking it. Last I checked, altruism isn't any less so merely on account of any alignment of interests between the interests of the altruist or the beneficiary, or from the altruist also benefiting from the fruits of the act. I genuinely don't believe that the administration did this with the expectation that WFH be discontinued at the earliest; but I'm sure they were aware of it being more feasible for them to do so (relatively in any event) after the fact than before.

Take care.
A publicity stunt but at least they are getting everyone in the firm vaccinated.
Nahi krenge to kahoge SAM ne vaccinate nahi kia. Krenge to publicity stunt hai. What should SAM do? Err on the side of vaccination, like they have. Proud to be part of the organization!
Publicity stunt? Bhai slot book kare hai kabhi under 45 ke? Publicity stunt karna hi tha kuch aasan chun lete woh. Authority opinion dene lage hai ghar baithe.
But when the 45+ general public cannot get access. How did SAM manage?
Tied up with Apollo. They are one of the very few private hospitals with some stock.
It's sad that a firm like SAM is using vaccination drive as a PR stunt. It's disgusting to be honest.



[Moderation note: Image link had pointed to a site that does not allow-hotlinking of images, have replaced with a local copy]
SAM has one of the better Covid response teams where team does respond and try to help in any way it can (heard this from friends at the firm), unlike at other firms where there are such teams just on paper.Their vaccination tie up is to get employees vaccinated and not contingent upon employees returning to office physically.
These SAM employees who have taken over social media (mostly LinkedIn with cringeworthy poses) - are they being threatened with potential firing or are they being incensitvised with like a couple extra leaves?

I fail to believe educated lawyers would do that posing and posting crap and thank shardul shroff for 'caring' unless there's carrots or sticks involved.
I fail to believe how expressing appreciation for any person / organization taking an effort towards protecting you and your family from a potentially life threatening virus, can be ridiculed like this. Extremely narrow-minded, negative and distasteful.
Whatever be SAM's motive for doing this, getting public appreciation can't be it. So why care about these comments?
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Extremely narrow-minded, negative and distasteful.
No. Nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade.

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I fail to believe how expressing appreciation for any person / organization taking an effort towards protecting you and your family from a potentially life threatening virus, can be ridiculed like this.Β 
We've been a republic for a while and we abolished the privy purses in the name of le equality. No businessmen or corp is your mai baap or your Raja who looks out for his riayaa. In an India where even former princes degrade themselves to vulgar marketing of their piles on IG, engage in electoral politics and profess equality, there's no need to be servile to anyone least of all businessmen. They aren't doing anyone a favour, no one is.
LI has sensored the screenshot which was shared where members working at SAM were encouraged to make posts on social media and use hashtags like #SAMRocks #igotmyshot #workplacevaccinationdrive #organisationsthatcare etc. There is a WhatsApp which is doing the rounds.

Btw Kco Delhi and Trilegal are also carrying out similar drives at their office but you won't see them making a press release on B&B or encouraging lawyers to make posts which is why SAM has used this as a cheap publicity stunt. There is no doubt that they have been supportive and caring but the issue here is that Gujju bhai has cleverly used costs for vaccination drive into an opportunity for promoting the firm.
Stop with the distasteful comments, please. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing bad about a firm vaccinating people at a time like this! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Posts or no posts. People like you seem to be the reason why Khaitan cannot have better leave policies because they are β€œpaper tigers”, SAM cannot do a vaccine drive because it is a β€œstunt”.

I say even if the two are what you think they are, give a chance to law firms for being better! How otherwise can our profession become a tad bit better!?
Err...why are you getting so hyper? It's not as if SAM would stop the drive because of anon trolling here.
I think the larger point the person is trying to make is that if you troll even well intentioned measures by firms (which may otherwise have bad work culture), you end up discouraging that firm and other firms from improving their culture as a whole. Criticise when required, but not for the sake of merely cribbing.
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you end up discouraging that firm and other firms from improving their culture as a whole.Β 
Fallacious argument. You don't stop even think twice about doing "good" or in our case being decent because, God forbid some people might hurt your feelings anonymously.

If native Indian corps were half as decent as Japanese and Western ones, then they'd have a leg to stand on.
That is assuming the firm cares about anon trolling. Nobody in their right mind should care about what is being written about them in the comments section of LI. Whether good or bad.
Saw quite a few associates from the Delhi office of SAM posting those similarly worded messages thanking the firm and that partner who organised the drive. Reminded me of those identical tweets posted by celebrities every time the IT cell asks them to.
Exactly but that's how we Indians have always been. Ugte suraj ko sab salam karte hai i.e. everyone pays homage to the rising sun.
LinkedIn is already full of posts from attorneys who are "thankful" for being part of such a "caring" organisation. Late stage capitalism really is something. Barf.
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LinkedIn is already full of posts from attorneys who are "thankful" for being part of such a "caring" organisation.
Exactly, no self respect whatsoever. Why is LinkedIn permissible for lawyers anyway? If so, why not go the full Monty and allow ads?

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Late stage capitalism really is something. Barf.
This isn't capitalism, this country is a feudal mess with indoor plumbing (for some) and smart phones. In fact given the nature of things back then, atleast feudal chiefs had to fear for their safety and wealth.

We now find ourselves in the world of the corrupt state, of family and private life being weak and easily dissoluble, of property being at the whim of the state rather than absolute and, the skilfully manipulated will of the people conferring increasingly absolute power on a cold and fabulously wealthy new elite with no roots in the land they rule and, certainly lacking in the ancient virtues of duty and humility. Β All very liberated and modern though.
Indus has started it. No emails from HR yet on when hashtags & pics should go up. Bosses just do not know good PR.
At least the firm is taking the initiative. Unlike AZB where they have people who routinely make it to global and Indian power lists but don't lift even a finger to try and organise vaccinations for it's masses!
I genuinely want to know how a law firm can manage vaccinations for its lawyers and staff but Karnataka is forced to suspend vaccination for 18-44 age group?
Read the official clarifications a bit more carefully. Private hospitals can still administer to 18-44 group.
I admit I did not read the clarifications. But I think something is wrong when the govt. is unable to provide vaccines but private hospitals are. Of course, profits drive supply but that means the privileged can get vaccinated but others can't. Its not right. It's an abuse of process!
Another tier one firm with offices across the country is getting all its fee earners + staff + immediate family vaccinated at its own cost - starting with NCR, and further extended option to vaccinate domestic help and siblings at cost.

It's entirely voluntary.

The only reason I am not identifying the firm is because repeated emails have asked us to not post about it on social media.
Apparently it's even getting its interns & their family vaccinated, all at the Firm's cost, w/o all the PR & hullabaloo we're being asked to do.