My boss made me cancel tickets for a vacation I had planned with my friends to Thailand ( I have changed country for privacy).
I am 3 PQE in a tier 2 law firm, capital markets practice. I had booked a trip with my friends to Thailand, for this weekend + 3 days to celebrate a couple of friends' birthdays and the third one's bachelors all in one shot. It was supposed to be an amazing group trip of amazingly close friends.
All my friends on this trip, barring one, work in T1 firms.
I was supposed to leave on Thursday Evening, this trip is pre planned, and my boss knew about it for the last couple of months. Boss even asked me to get them some souvenir for the office.
Today afternoon the Boss comes and tells me to cancel my trip as we have a filing on Wednesday, and they anticipate another kick off meeting on Thursday.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? HOW IS THIS FAIR? WILL IT ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS?
You are supposed to tell him, are you being for real? If you cannot appreciate preplanned commitment, I understand that you have zero interest in my personal well being.
Tell him that you will start serving notice right after the bonus
Must be upsetting, and I understand completely - its not fair that someone tries to take over your life, even after you've been reasonable. That's unfortunately how it is, if your team isn't big enough to have someone else step in.
I don’t see what the problem is. Your boss has a client deliverable and needs you. Get used to being in a service industry which is competitive. One day you will hopefully have made partner and will have a holiday planned, would you go ahead with the holiday if a big client came knocking. Support your partner and live in the reality of a competitive business environment. You are a professional not a unionised workman
Do you not know basic labor law? You cannot have a union if you are not an employee. You are on a retainer as a consultant and cannot form a union. If you want to be an employee, pay 40 percent tax.
You do realise the difference between TDS and tax on income, right? Lawyers also pay 30%. Possibly you don't earn enough to know that, or you may be a law school kid masquerading as someone with worldly knowledge.
This is the story lot of seniors keep telling juniors.
Truth is - That feeling of giving up the holiday and working should come from within - ownership. But there’s no ownership when partner owns equity and the junior is like a salaried employee who has to sacrifice his time and not be able to enjoy his money he earned by working hard.
Most cases the junior will be replaced by partner soon as they get someone better. In your own business, that will never happen.
Ah yes, problems are not to be solved, of course. Work hard so that the problems do not apply to you anymore. Waah ji waah, aap toh swayam Indian mentality ko embody kar liye bina jaane.
a. Partner should've planned better if he/she is a real deal-maker/client getter. Partner should've hired 2-3 associates at least so that the team can take offs and get breaks from time to time without letting work suffer.
b. The trip was planner, expenses were incurred and therefore actual damages took place. Nowhere has the partner said they'll recompense for the costs incurred and/or make whole for the situation they've put this chap in.
c. I am on the client-side now after 7 years on the firm-circuit. No client will appreciate the behavior from the partner because this means that the person has absolutely no sense on how to behave with other people or how to staff their team. While it doesn't make a difference to me tangibly, it does mean that my work is being done begrudgingly by associate who's probably on an understaffed or incompetent team. Either way it looks off.
d. There are service providers in competitive businesses everywhere, they don't behave like total asshats.
I'm struggling to grasp the issue here. It's common in our industry for bosses to require urgent attention on client deliverables. As you advance in your career, possibly reaching a partner level, similar situations may arise. Would you prioritize a holiday over a critical client's needs? In our industry, the client's demands take precedence over personal commitments.
Let me recount a personal incident. A few years back, my daughter underwent routine appendix surgery scheduled for 3 pm, and she wished for my presence. Despite leaving work at 1:45 pm to be there, I received a call from a team member about crucial data from our client. I immediately returned to the office and resumed work. That dedication led to my promotion to partner at my Tier 1 firm that year.
Success in this industry demands dedication and prioritizing client needs above personal matters.
This is what the young generation doesn't understand - client service is above personal needs.
My parents and younger son had met with a road accident and were lying injured on the road. One of them managed to call me to arrange for an ambulance, and I was about to call for one, but then a client called to discuss whether we should use millions and billions or lakhs and crores in the agreement which was due to be signed in the forthcoming month. I called for the ambulance only once I convinced the client that we will do whatever the client wants and the advantages and down-sides of using either of the styles.
While my parents and younger son died due to the delay in calling the ambulance; but then client service comes first, once and always. I'm sure my parents would have known that I must be doing something important as they were breathing their last breath on the road. My younger son was too young - so he wouldn't have understood much, including the precedence of client service.
I am genuinely confused if that daughter surgery example is used to troll or meant sincerely. If the latter, then I feel sorry for you, my man. May you find meaning in life other than being a T-1 partner.
May you find better meaning in life than being a lazy troll who does nothing productive. If you knew how much a T1 partner makes you will also do what the partner who wrote this had done. PS: Appendix surgery is literally one of the most common and safe medical procedures ever.
Wait. So you're telling me that appendix surgeries are safe and associates can take client calls in the operation theatre? And plus you shouldn't be in any theatre while on my time.
How is that what they said? Please read the comment again - they’re saying that appendix surgeries are routine, not particularly serious. I don’t agree with leaving your daughter’s surgery (of any kind, if she’s asked that you be there) for client deliverables, but they weren’t saying that it’s okay to expect associates to answer calls while surgery is being performed on them, you nitwit! Or even for that matter that client calls should be answered if you’re just in the OT. What is with the extremely poor comprehension skills?
Lmao, I do not care how much a T1 partner makes. No money in the world can make me miss a daughter's surgery. As I said, may you find meaning in life other than money. Always remember: money is not inherently valuable, it is a means to securing some other thing: whether it be time, material things or anything else.
And yes, I am not saying this as a jealous person. I come from generational wealth, which is why I can make all of these tall statements - because my net worth at birth is more than what you will have when you die. I do not mean this in a derogatory way - I mean it in a way to genuinely suggest that you will regret this later in life. Nobody thinks "I should have earned 10 more lakhs" when they die. They think "I should have been there for my daughter".
Please also "recount" this personal incident the day your daughter puts you in a nursing home. Your words make it sound like you are proud of the way you prioritised your work over your child, but I promise you, she will never forgive you. Children always remember parents that don't show up for them - well into adulthood.
This is for sure that your Partner does not respect you. You have to weigh your personal life v/s professional life here. Understand the psychological of Partner as well. Is he just being sadist or there is a genuine need? For kick off, certainly you are not needed at all. He/She can fill you in at a later point.
It’s possible he/she may want to fire you and is looking for an excuse to do that.
Rest of the things aside, changing the name of the place really won't hide your identity, if you have given all other details. Even assuming all of that is false, still, your boss and others in the firm who read LI can still figure it out. Next time, give some space between the incident and venting of it. I hope you did this time as well. Applies for all venting out in LI. All the Best. Sorry for what happened to you.
I dont understand the issue. I had once had a heart attack and was on my way to the hospital when a client called me to arrange for his golf practice the next evening. I immediately stood up and went back to the office, finished the assignment and then proceeded with my heart attack.
When you are in service industry, client needs takes precedence, which sometimes means delaying medical emergencies too.
I joined a T2 firm in July 2021 post graduation. I took 4 days off in December 2021. For the next 1 and a half year I did not take any holidays of any kind and I asked my partner for 4 days leave in May 2023. He said to me "why do you want so many leaves when I gave you leaves in December 2021". After this incident, I immediately put my papers.
You need to stand up for yourself. Unless you immediately agree to your boss's demand of cancelling the trip (because of fear), I think you can negotiate your way out of it. The only reason your boss thought they would be able to make you cancel your trip, was because you would have conveyed it to them that its possible. I mean you would have not made it clear that it is an IMPORTANT trip and hence not cancellable. I think this is why you should not share your personal life so much with your bosses - why tell them its a friends bachelors/birthday trip? Tell them its a family wedding.
My boss made me cancel tickets for a vacation I had planned with my friends to Thailand ( I have changed country for privacy).
I am 3 PQE in a tier 2 law firm, capital markets practice. I had booked a trip with my friends to Thailand, for this weekend + 3 days to celebrate a couple of friends' birthdays and the third one's bachelors all in one shot. It was supposed to be an amazing group trip of amazingly close friends.
All my friends on this trip, barring one, work in T1 firms.
I was supposed to leave on Thursday Evening, this trip is pre planned, and my boss knew about it for the last couple of months. Boss even asked me to get them some souvenir for the office.
Today afternoon the Boss comes and tells me to cancel my trip as we have a filing on Wednesday, and they anticipate another kick off meeting on Thursday.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? HOW IS THIS FAIR? WILL IT ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS?
No job is worth compromising your quality of life.
You work to lead a happy life. The object is not getting fulfilled with this job.
Tell him that you will start serving notice right after the bonus
Truth is - That feeling of giving up the holiday and working should come from within - ownership. But there’s no ownership when partner owns equity and the junior is like a salaried employee who has to sacrifice his time and not be able to enjoy his money he earned by working hard.
Most cases the junior will be replaced by partner soon as they get someone better. In your own business, that will never happen.
Your life == Your job
It's just a job
a. Partner should've planned better if he/she is a real deal-maker/client getter. Partner should've hired 2-3 associates at least so that the team can take offs and get breaks from time to time without letting work suffer.
b. The trip was planner, expenses were incurred and therefore actual damages took place. Nowhere has the partner said they'll recompense for the costs incurred and/or make whole for the situation they've put this chap in.
c. I am on the client-side now after 7 years on the firm-circuit. No client will appreciate the behavior from the partner because this means that the person has absolutely no sense on how to behave with other people or how to staff their team. While it doesn't make a difference to me tangibly, it does mean that my work is being done begrudgingly by associate who's probably on an understaffed or incompetent team. Either way it looks off.
d. There are service providers in competitive businesses everywhere, they don't behave like total asshats.
Let me recount a personal incident. A few years back, my daughter underwent routine appendix surgery scheduled for 3 pm, and she wished for my presence. Despite leaving work at 1:45 pm to be there, I received a call from a team member about crucial data from our client. I immediately returned to the office and resumed work. That dedication led to my promotion to partner at my Tier 1 firm that year.
Success in this industry demands dedication and prioritizing client needs above personal matters.
Though you might have succeeded as a lawyer, you failed miserably as a parent.
My parents and younger son had met with a road accident and were lying injured on the road. One of them managed to call me to arrange for an ambulance, and I was about to call for one, but then a client called to discuss whether we should use millions and billions or lakhs and crores in the agreement which was due to be signed in the forthcoming month. I called for the ambulance only once I convinced the client that we will do whatever the client wants and the advantages and down-sides of using either of the styles.
While my parents and younger son died due to the delay in calling the ambulance; but then client service comes first, once and always. I'm sure my parents would have known that I must be doing something important as they were breathing their last breath on the road. My younger son was too young - so he wouldn't have understood much, including the precedence of client service.
And yes, I am not saying this as a jealous person. I come from generational wealth, which is why I can make all of these tall statements - because my net worth at birth is more than what you will have when you die. I do not mean this in a derogatory way - I mean it in a way to genuinely suggest that you will regret this later in life. Nobody thinks "I should have earned 10 more lakhs" when they die. They think "I should have been there for my daughter".
It’s possible he/she may want to fire you and is looking for an excuse to do that.
Take a call.
Waise bhi tu credit card pe debt lekar hi jata na
When you are in service industry, client needs takes precedence, which sometimes means delaying medical emergencies too.
You kids are just too soft.