When Partners Go On Vacation, Associates Should Relax A Little Too

It is pretty common for partners at law firms to take summer vacations. Partners may have more control over their schedules than other attorneys, and after spending decades building a practice, they have usually earned the ability to disappear for a week or two without worrying too much about what is happening back at the office. Of course, work does not stop simply because a partner is sitting on a beach somewhere. Associates still need to service clients, meet deadlines, and make sure matters continue moving forward.

Nevertheless, I think partners should accept another reality of going on vacation: the associates who work for them might be a little less productive while they are gone. And, within reason, I think that is perfectly fine.

I have worked for a number of bosses throughout my career, and every boss has different expectations about how work should be performed. Some partners want associates in the office on particular days. Others expect people to arrive by a certain time, provide frequent updates, or handle assignments according to particular procedures. Even when these expectations are perfectly reasonable, complying with them requires some effort.

When the partner imposing those expectations goes on vacation, associates sometimes loosen up a little. Maybe an associate who ordinarily comes into the office decides to work from home for a few days. Perhaps people arrive a little later or leave a little earlier. Associates might take longer lunches, spend more time talking to colleagues, or otherwise enjoy the fact that the person who ordinarily supervises them is temporarily out of the picture.

Partners should probably just let this happen.

To be clear, I am a big believer in vacations. People work better when they periodically disconnect from their jobs, and the legal profession has historically been terrible about allowing people to truly take time off. Lawyers should use their vacation days, travel, spend time with their families, and occasionally go somewhere where they are not constantly checking their email. Partners should certainly not avoid vacations because they are worried that associates might slack off in their absence.

Indeed, associates should probably view a partner’s vacation as an opportunity to loosen up themselves, even if they are not technically taking time off. There can be something refreshing about having a week when nobody particularly cares whether you are sitting at your usual desk at 9:30 in the morning. If an associate can complete assignments from home, perhaps that person should skip the commute. If the afternoon schedule has no urgent work, maybe an associate can duck out a little early. These small freedoms can provide some of the psychological benefits of a vacation without the associate actually taking one.

There are obviously limits to this principle. An associate cannot ignore a filing deadline because the supervising partner is in Italy. Clients should not receive worse service because the partner handling their matter happens to be unavailable. And associates should not create a giant pile of unfinished work that greets the partner upon returning to the office.

But there is a big difference between neglecting work and simply operating at a slightly more relaxed pace.

Law firms sometimes obsess over maximizing productivity every single day. That mentality overlooks the fact that productivity fluctuates naturally throughout the year. Lawyers may work extremely long hours because a deal is closing, a case is going to trial, or some unexpected emergency arises. There should also be periods when people can take their foot off the gas a little.

A partner’s vacation can be one of those periods.

There may even be advantages to giving associates additional freedom while a partner is away. Associates who normally rely heavily on a partner might need to exercise more independent judgment. Other lawyers may need to collaborate with each other rather than immediately asking the partner how something should be handled. And giving associates a little breathing room can generate goodwill that becomes valuable when the practice inevitably gets busy again.

Partners should also remember that they probably behave differently when their own bosses are away. Human beings naturally relax when the person who evaluates their performance is not around. Pretending otherwise simply encourages employees to conceal perfectly normal behavior.

None of this means partners should return from vacation to discover that their entire team spent the previous week watching movies and ignoring clients. Associates are professionals, and they should continue fulfilling their responsibilities whether or not a partner is physically present.

But if the office is a little emptier, people are a little more relaxed, and perhaps somewhat less work gets accomplished while the boss is away, that should not necessarily be viewed as a problem. The partner got a vacation. The associates got a small break from the partner’s usual expectations.

Everyone might return to the normal routine a little happier — and perhaps even more productive because of it.

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Jordan Rothman is a partner of The Rothman Law Firm, a full-service New York and New Jersey law firm. He is also the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a website discussing how he paid off his student loans. You can reach Jordan through email at jordan@rothman.law.