current tune: tegan and sara - living room
this is the first draft of the letter i never sent to matt when i quit k2. there where a whole bunch of ideas i had about closing the office, but i never went thhrough with them.
Why I'm Doing This
This is not as much about your practice as it is about the employees you would hire in the future if i did nothing.
This is about the state of the architectural profession. This is about fair compensation for workers. This is about the management of this firm. This is about a "friends' agreement" that became an excuse for abuse.
When i started working here, it was understood that this is a small firm, that exists from contract to contract, and that sometimes that doesn't provide enough to cover all the bills, and sometimes even to cover rent, taxes, or employee wages. When i started, there was an understanding that during rough spots, rather than lay people off, this office would pay wages as they could, if we (the employees) were willing. it sounds nice enough, when there's an assumption that the principals of the firm are enduring the same hardships as the employees.
But.
I have been here a long time. long enough to see that there are darker reasons for this agreement in the murky waters below. contracts, as written, or as agreed to by this office, allow the Architect no means of recourse when he is not paid, not paid in full, or not paid on time. This is endemic in construction. owners and developers withhold payment until they've gotten extra services. or, as is often the case, the architect is held to the client's schedule, and forced to release incomplete drawing sets, and is then told they will be payed when the set is "finished". or when an addendum is released. this leaves the Architect perpetually chasing the carrot. This does not allow the architect to release drawings when he is paid.
When i was hired, i accepted the reality of late pay, and poor wages, because a small firm holds the promise of a fast track of learning and advancement. The hope of not being forced to work on repetitive drawings with no real inolvement or input into the project. For a year and some, being employed by a small firm has delivered on this promise. The reason for this is not so obvious.
All permanent employees of this firm hold the same position. No matter their level of experience or knowledge, they have the same relationship to the principals, to their projects, and to new employees. The principals of the firm refuse to allow greater control to better/more exprerienced/more knowledgeable employees because it means they have consistant control over the design output of the office. Sure, there are sub levels within the back-office employees, but no tangible distinction. Subtle distinctions in level of control of specific projects, sure. but no employee really runs a project. and no employee is really just a drafter. This is the second important thing to understand about this small firm structure.
You, recent college graduate, will never become important to this firm. you will always be replaceable. by another recent college graduate, eager to gain experience, and still used to the poorer lifestyle of college. This means that if you complain about the late pay or the low wages, you will be reminded of the tremendous experience you are gaining. and of the level of design input you have. but should you attempt to hold out drawings until you are paid, or refuse to work until you are paid, you will be replaced by another, a scab, a poor college student. even if the office cannot pay this employee, they will still get him or her to work, knowing that once the firm is paid, the new employee will be paid. since it's generally a month before the employee is expecting payment anyway, this is an easy promise to keep. unlike you, the recently outed (though most likely you quit, or left under some 'mutual agreement') who are already demanding backpay.
And though this means that the firm will be out those years of experience, they will make up for it by transferring more of the work back to the principals. This means the employees are left without recourse as well. There is no way for the employees to leverage better business practices from the principals. Except this. I'm doing this in hopes that other firms will notice the absence of this firm and will find out why. I'm doing this so no more bright eyed college graduates will be put in this positiion, choosing between demanding their due at the cost of their employment and putting up with principals who don't care about the people who do their work.
Post a Comment