The Firm Spy takes some credit from the recent revelation that AAR will this year be indulging staff with a Christmas Party! We counted no less than 5 articles (including the very popular Firm Spy Downlow Medal post) in which the Firm Spy has lambasted the firm for the irresponsible decision to shelve last year’s festivities, only for staff to see partners pocket up to a reported $1,400,000 last year.
An excellent article from our friends at Lawyers Weekly noted that AAR‘s party plans:
… are shrouded in a cloak of mystery, a spokesperson saying only that “there are a number of themes that have been dreamt up in smoky backrooms, some of which apparently are yet to be revealed”. The spokesperson did, however, confirm that an ’80′s theme was on the cards for one office.
However, it is not all tea and buscuits this year, and there was certainly no coffees in this “smoky backroom” with news that a discretionary spend has been axed by the firm’s Melbourne office. This from an anonymous AAR spy yesterday:
Allens Arthur Robinson has just cancelled the ‘coffee cart’ service in their Melbourne office. The partnership hosted morning tea on Monday to farewell the beloved service. Partner Paul Quinn made reference to the long service provided by the coffee cart, apparently it has been operating since the 1960s. Allens staff will be making their own morning coffee from now on. Staff were also offered the ‘opportunity’ to buy an environmentally friendly coffee cup for $5, complete with Allens branding (with $5 being contributed by the Allens Footprint Committee – staff had a 50% discount!)… very generous offer!
Ahhh … the old trick of cutting costs and framing it as an effort to cut carbon emissions. Anyone recall when Deacons forced staff to crap in the dark? And what’s this business about an AAR branded coffee-cup? It sounds very familiar: Minter Ellison apparently introduced an identical scheme (though free of charge) in its Sydney office mere weeks ago!
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To be fair…the tea trolley was outdated and only kept on for so long out of sentimentality. The staff who were running the tea trolley service have been given other roles within the firm and now we are spared from the guilt of having to refuse the grey water tea and caterers blend instant coffee. Anyone who seriously has a problem with this overdue decision should get off their fat asses and go and get a coffee or make themselves a cup of tea. This is one move that the Allens leadership committee should not be criticised for. Nor should Mr Quinn as he is one of the few remaining gentlemen in the place. Other leaders could take some pointers from him.
yeah, i agree, the tea trolley was indeed outdated!
correct on most counts..apart from the gentlemen reference