Sometimes I really feel the dissonance between what I hope I’m 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 occasionally it gets out of hand. Which is why I’m 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.
The receptionist pops his head into the room to say the creative director is on a call and will be with me in ‘just a sec’. 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’m about to send a photo to the old WhatsApp group when I’m summoned. She’s 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 ‘sit down’.
‘Hiiiii, thank yew sooooooo much for being herrrrrre.’
North American? International School? Mid-Atlantic Titanic Survivor? Hard to tell.
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’m seeking an opportunity to learn and grow, long term.
Where did that come from. I’m interested to join a team that prioritises design studio culture and critical discourse over commercial concerns. What am I saying?!
She nods, and sighs. Yahhhhhh A-bso-LU-tely get that, uh-MA-zing. Love it. I supress a squint/scowl. It’s really very grating. What are YOU looking for, as you’re growing your team, I ask. She scrolls through her email on her phone and half-heartedly replies: ‘Well see, we have, like, MAH-sive turnover here, you know?’
I nod, as if I know. I’ve switched from candidate to auditor. Ah, you’re 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?
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’s mainly in the junior team. They just don’t last, and Carlos* likes to keep his team close all the time, you know?
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.
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?
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’ve never heard someone just … say it?
Plus, she continues, it means that like we get all this new talent, like every six months. SIX MONTHS?! You’re burning through your entire staff TWICE A YEAR? It’s amazing, because, like, every year is different, we get to completely refresh the office.
She wrinkles her nose like she’s coddling a puppy. It’s great, you know? Wow, I repeat, because I can’t think of anything else to say. So, what about the senior staff, are there … loyalty benefits?
Oh no WAY, she laughs, that would be, like, in-SA-ne. That’s what we need you for! No, some people just stay longer you know, like, they’re 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’s the whole point of being here!
She beams. I slowly close my laptop. Serves me right for asking.
*name changed, obvs
