How are other partners telling sensitive millennial associates that they’re screwing up? Recently, one of mine has gone totally off the rails. Work quality has slipped, deadlines are an issue, frequently has to work from home because they “have too much anxiety to come to the office,” time entries are questionable. I’m closing in on the point where I want to scream at her with my door open, but I know that will create bigger headaches…

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Sick of this narrative of “sensitive millennials.” A recent study actually found that boomers are the most sensitive and narcissistic generation.
To answer your question though, I would lead with compassion and empathy first. Find out if something is happening in her life that is affecting her work performance.

likesmarthelpfulfunny

And, even in a normal environment and world (which this one is not), we all have peaks and valleys in our performance. I love what I do and there are periods where I am just too rung out to be my fully engaged self. I have learned to be forgiving with myself and learn that it’s ok for me to not bring it every single day (because when I do need to bring it, I always do). Associates don’t have the luxury of ratcheting up or down - or the experience to know how to ratchet it down and recharge without being noticed. So, yeah, you need to have a conversation without prying that says, “Are you ok? This is a safe place if you want to talk about it.” And, investing in people for the long term means that it actually has to be a safe place. Some people have life changes that cause them to ratchet down and they never find their high gear again. That’s ok and may mean they aren’t well suited for a firm, but it’s also important to treat them with the loyalty earned and find them a soft landing. On the other hand, sometimes performance drop offs occur because people have different learning curves and they aren’t growing into more senior roles / authority and demonstrating the same autonomy or excellence they did at lower levels. Treating the problem begins with finding the reason. But, we often make the mistake that treating the problem means making them a better associate. That’s not always the case. As people who are blessed (or cursed) with leadership positions, being good stewards of other peoples careers is one of our highest callings — and, I believe, that approaching that calling in a non-profit focused manner is also a great way to drive long-term profitability.

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Start with a direct question are you okay

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Honestly, the way you’ve phrased the question speaks volumes. As others have said, many millennials are partner vintage now. It has nothing to do with age and it seems to me like you may demonstrate a major lack of empathy.

This job sucks more often than it doesn’t and the last 2+ years have caused many people to have severe mental health issues - or at a minimum reevaluate how they approach the job.

Ask the person how they are doing, if they are happy, and if there is anything you can do to make things better.

Leave the judgmental stuff at the door.

Sincerely,

Gen X Partner

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You do realize a lot of us millennials are approaching 40, right? How old is this associate? Anyway if this is a new development, definitely ask her if she is OK.

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I am a millennial and am 41 haha.

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Something is wrong

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One approach might be to address whether she’s happy at your firm. There might be other employers (eg in-house, government, etc) that are more suited to her personality. Billing hours ain’t for everyone, and a lot of young lawyers don’t know what they’re in for until they get out of school. Then they don’t know how to address this conflict between their personality and the work they’re expected to do, and they shut down.

likesmart

Seeing more and more of this. I have had decent experience in setting aside a time with the associate and maybe one other partner that works with her/him to constructively go over the problems and how it impacts client work, and to give them an opportunity to explain what’s happening from their view. I will usually then tell the associate that we can communicate expectations through a performance improvement plan to help get them back on track, and follow up with periodic check in meetings over the course of a defined period like 6 months or a year. If it still doesn’t work, then it probably will never work. Private practice, even at its gentlest, can be overwhelming

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We hired a fractional CHRO and that person guides us through these types of issues. The CHRO is more prepared and better equipped to do this; frequently the CHRO comes down more aggressively than I would have, but does it in a better manner.

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