Sometimes I really feel the dissonance between what I hope I\u2019m doing (building beautiful things in a fair and sustainable way) and what is actually happening (assembling aesthetically mid PDFs that will sit on real estate company servers for two years in a shareholder-friendly way).<\/p>\n
I self-soothe with job scrolling. Not the worst vice, but occasionally it gets out of hand. Which is why I\u2019m now sat, laptop in tote bag, in the reception space of a very well renowned architecture practice, scanning their 10m-long wall of self-published titles. The on-site baristas look bored.<\/p>\n
The receptionist pops his head into the room to say the creative director is on a call and will be with me in \u2018just a sec\u2019. I start inspecting the display models, chuffed to see a competition entry model from 2018, which I know they lost, because my team won. I\u2019m about to send a photo to the old WhatsApp group when I\u2019m summoned. She\u2019s still on the phone, but she winks and makes a weird hand gesture at me as I walk in, somewhere between a coquettish wave and \u2018sit down\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018Hiiiii, thank yew sooooooo much for being herrrrrre.\u2019<\/p>\n
North American? International School? Mid-Atlantic Titanic Survivor? Hard to tell.<\/p>\n
So, what am I looking for? Uh, well, I actually just took a punt and was kind of surprised to be invited here, and I went along with it out of curiosity? No, come on, I can do better than that. I\u2019m seeking an opportunity to learn and grow, long term.<\/p>\n
Where did that come from. I\u2019m interested to join a team that prioritises design studio culture and critical discourse over commercial concerns. What am I saying?!<\/p>\n
She nods, and sighs. Yahhhhhh A-bso-LU-tely get that, uh-MA-zing. Love it. I supress a squint\/scowl. It\u2019s really very grating. What are YOU looking for, as you\u2019re growing your team, I ask. She scrolls through her email on her phone and half-heartedly replies: \u2018Well see, we have, like, MAH-sive turnover here, you know?\u2019<\/p>\n
I nod, as if I know. I\u2019ve switched from candidate to auditor. Ah, you\u2019re referring to staff turnover, or financial turnover? Well, like, both?! She laughs, I stare. Right, is all I can think to say. So, what do you think causes that?<\/p>\n
She wriggles in her Eero chair, sitting on her own feet. I love it when people mistake my horrified probing for genuine interest. So, like, it\u2019s mainly in the junior team. They just don\u2019t last, and Carlos* likes to keep his team close all the time, you know?<\/p>\n
I nod. Yes, oh yes, been there before. So, competitions, then? Yahhhh, well, like everything. We just go at, like, a thousand miles an hour, and then the client will pull funding and we all suddenly jump on a new project that Carlos is interested in. Wow, so exciting, I say.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n YAH! Her eyes brighten as she really settles in. We have this, like, burnout culture here? I pause, stunned. Oh, right? I respond. YAH! She reiterates. Like, the projects are huge, and obviously in the US they pay, like, loads?<\/p>\n But we really try to deliver in the shortest space of time. So yeah, burnout is, like, baked into our practice, you know? I do know, yes, but I\u2019ve never heard someone just \u2026 say it?<\/p>\n Plus, she continues, it means that like we get all this new talent, like every six months. SIX MONTHS?! You\u2019re burning through your entire staff TWICE A YEAR? It\u2019s amazing, because, like, every year is different, we get to completely refresh the office.<\/p>\n She wrinkles her nose like she\u2019s coddling a puppy. It\u2019s great, you know? Wow, I repeat, because I can\u2019t think of anything else to say. So, what about the senior staff, are there \u2026 loyalty benefits?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Oh no WAY, she laughs, that would be, like, in-SA-ne. That\u2019s what we need you for! No, some people just stay longer you know, like, they\u2019re real survivors. Oh ok, I just thought when you said you work for overseas clients, that would be reflected in the remuneration … She pauses, sobered by the grown-up word. She looks me dead in the eye, smile gone. No. UK salaries are so low, and like, people work until they drop. That\u2019s the whole point of being here!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n She beams. I slowly close my laptop. Serves me right for asking.<\/p>\n *name changed, obvs<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes I really feel the dissonance between what I hope I\u2019m doing (building beautiful things in a fair and sustainable way) and what is actually happening (assembling aesthetically mid PDFs that will sit on real estate company servers for two years in a shareholder-friendly way). I self-soothe with job scrolling. Not the worst vice, but …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9844,"featured_media":741184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[101077,1609,72352],"yoast_head":"\n