DWF Employee Reviews about "long hours"
Updated 6 Feb 2020
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Pros
"The work/life balance is generally encourage firm-wide" (in 19 reviews)
"Agile/Flexible working allows a greater work/life balance" (in 19 reviews)
Cons
"Paralegals overworked with little praise, low pay, consistently criticised and management is non existent" (in 14 reviews)
"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" (in 9 reviews)
Pros & Cons are excerpts from user reviews. They are not authored by Glassdoor.
Reviews about "long hours"
Return to all Reviews"Unlike other law firms - but not necessarily a good thing"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
Negative OutlookNo Opinion of CEOI worked at DWF
Pros
- very friendly people and genuinely non-hierarchical - pays well, at least in London
Cons
- unclear whether london is going to be a focal point as partners under pressure to send work out to other offices - not set up for long hours (out of hours support non existent) - huge focus on financials - so many layers of management and seems to be a lot of competition/unhappiness amongst partners - IT often crashes leaving people unable to do their job
Continue readingThank you for sharing your feedback with us. We're really pleased that you value our friendly people and compensation. Continuous improvement is one of our values #disrupttoprogress and our IT systems form part of this initiative. We are working to develop our people proposition to reflect DWF' growth and reward our people, whilst better communicating our ambitions. Pulse surveys and our engaging people exec is designed drive improvements and our local HR advisors are always available and happy to help if there's anything our employees wish to raise outside of their immediate teams.
- Helpful (5)
"Shame on you, DWF!"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookDisapproves of CEOI worked at DWF full-time
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.
DWF Response
March 10, 2020 – Resourcing and Talent Acquisition Manager
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on working with DWF. We do value our employees and strive to manage our employees in a fair and inclusive way and as such, whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we are surprised to learn of the experience you have outlined which we will explore further with our team.
"#jargonjobs"
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
Doesn't RecommendPositive OutlookDisapproves of CEOI have been working at DWF full-time
Pros
Lovely admin team- v. hardworking high level salary
Cons
- belittling behaviour from senior management - micro management due to lack of processes/ understaffing - office is not fit for purpose - job is 20% of job specification (#jargonjobs??) - very high staff turnover - admin - very outdated computer software and systems - long hours
Continue reading"Great place to train as a Solicitor"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at DWF full-time for more than a year
Pros
Friendly, Good culture, Innovative approach, Top clients and varied workload
Cons
IT, Handling of qualification and long hours
Continue reading"Supportive Employer"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEOI have been working at DWF full-time
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.
"Opportunities are here for the taking!"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
I have been working at DWF full-time for more than a year
Pros
Hard work and dedication is rewarded. In the 2 years that I have now been with the firm (I started with no previous experience) I have been promoted, taken on supervision duties and gained a Training Contract. There are plenty of opportunities for development if you seek them. We have online training modules on the DWF Academy and training is very much employee led. DWF are supportive of their employees learning and development and offer paid study leave in certain circumstances. I have had support whilst completing my LPC and Masters whilst at DWF. Finally the people you work with make a huge difference to how you feel at work and I can safely say that we have a great bunch of people at DWF.
Cons
Long hours and high volumes of work - to be expected from any Top Law Firm. However as mentioned above you get back what you put in!
Continue reading"Great Career Progression"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
RecommendsPositive OutlookI have been working at DWF full-time for more than a year
Pros
- The company are very open to recruiting their trainees from current paralegals. - Firm has specific separate application route for internal trainee applicants. - Annual salary increases and bonus system. - Modern, friendly and diverse working environment.
Cons
- Salary quite low for paralegals - however, worth it if you want to progress as there is scope for huge salary increases. - Can be a high pressure environment with long hours (to be expected from any top law firm).
Continue reading- Helpful (6)
"Brace yourself! Your career storm is here!"
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookI have been working at DWF
Pros
London office has outstanding paronamic views of London and all other offices being cenrally located. Good benefits package with flexible options available each year. Some good initiatives i.e. Volunteering, but still a long way to go! Unfortunately that's all when it comes to pros!
Cons
Very much blame culture with long hours and no thanks. The values are only empty words so be prepared that you will get no or minimal constructive feedback but people will be quick to complain and blame. Communication is dreadful with information overload and no strategy behind it. New systems being implemented but no training provided. Career opportunities, learning and progression only available to few!
Continue reading - Helpful (2)
"This is not the place to work if you want a career in Facilities or Facilities Management...."
- Work/Life Balance★★★★★
- Culture & Values★★★★★
- Career Opportunities★★★★★
- Compensation and Benefits★★★★★
- Senior Management★★★★★
Doesn't RecommendNegative OutlookI worked at DWF
Pros
Good legal firm with huge experience and an excellent higher management structure within the legal business field.
Cons
Without a doubt the most ineptly managed Facilities Management in the country. There is no one with any Facilities or Health & Safety experience within the firm, and it shows, there is no property PPM, H&S, BCP etc experience whatsoever, Staff turn over in FM is extremely high with no core values to retain or train staff and a huge emphasis on running the business as though it were a hotel putting the client first in everything whilst there is no consideration for the staff doing the work and exceptionally long hours for very little reward or pay. Facilities is run like a cheap hotel and fails miserably at providing any level of service, there is no clear direction, no business plan and ideas are conjured up with little thought for the individuals who will execute them.
Continue reading
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DWF Response
March 4, 2020 – Resourcing and Talent Acquisition Manager