DWF Employee Reviews about "long hours"

Pros

There are absolutely no pros to working at DWF!

Cons

I worked at DWF as a solicitor for nearly five years and during this time I gave the business my all. I worked all the hours from 2am finishes to all-nighters. I did what it took to get the job done and to excel in my career. I was promised the earth by the partner I worked for and that I would be recognised for my efforts. I was then suddenly diagnosed with a shock lifelong chronic illness and was hospitalised for several months to get my condition under control. It was then that I saw DWF’s true colours. A business that holds no empathy or care for its overworked corporate slaves. A business that views you as a number. A business that views you as a replaceable, worthless commodity. As soon as you fall ill, you’re useless to DWF and are treated with utter contempt. During my time in hospital I was bombarded by calls and text messages from DWF’s HR. I was asked daily when I’d be returning. No effort was made to understand what was wrong with me. I told them to leave me alone. They didn’t. They persisted to call, email, text and leave voicemails, which only exacerbated my symptoms. I was distraught at being diagnosed with a terrifying illness. They didn’t care. They made me feel like I was losing my mental capacity. They made me feel worthless. Shamefully, they persistently threatened with not paying me. Again, which resulted in more stress with the worry of being unable to pay my mortgage. I had to even use holiday entitlement to be off sick! I remember lying in my hospital bed thinking that I can’t believe I studied so hard at university and worked all these years to be treated so appallingly. Worse still, in a conversation with HR I was reminded that when I DO return to work that I will again be required to work long hours to meet “business requirements.” I hadn’t even got my health back, yet they were reminding me that I will need to be back working obscene hours well beyond my contracted hours. An utter joke when DWF pay their solicitors a high street law firm wage! But of course, you’re getting the prestige of working at DWF... Even more appalling, the partner who I was working for, who I once looked up to, didn’t once reach out to me and ask how I was doing. Radio silence since my diagnosis and hospitalisation. What an utter disgrace! Where is the humanity? In the end I had no choice but to resign. The position became untenable and the trust was entirely broken. How could I go back to work for a business that treated me that way? I know I am not the only one in DWF to have been treated this way since falling unwell. And I would ask DWF how many employees it is going to take to fall ill with physical and mental health problems for them to realise what they are doing to their employees is unacceptable? What will it take for DWF to understand they can’t continue to work their employees into the ground? What will it take for DWF to understand that the way they are treating their staff is completely unfair and that action must be taken to start looking after their staff? What will it take for DWF to employ HR staff who actually have compassion for employees and try to help them when they are struggling instead of making their life as a DWF employee even more of a misery? It is clear that DWF will stop at nothing in its demonic quest to become the next “global player”. A quest I can’t help but feel will never be achieved. For clients do not come first. Employees come first. Because if you take care of your employees they will take care of the clients. My only wish for this “legal business” is that the good solicitors (yes, there are a few) recognise their worth and go somewhere where they are appreciated, rewarded and supported.

Pros

Supportive policies in place to progress career whether you are a solicitor or not. Family friendly employer which includes flexible working. Invests in its employees development. Takes Corporate Social Responsibility seriously and plenty of opportunities to give back to the community.

Cons

Long hours are unavoidable is you are a fee earner. Large organisation with various offices nationally and internationally therefore hard to avoid the corporate feel. Like most firms predominately males in senior management position.