Honey
bees
are
critical
cogs
in
a
functioning
ecosystem.
We
all
like
things
to
grow
and
those
things
need
pollinators.
So
after
years
of
colony
collapse
disorder
wreaking
havoc
on
the
natural
order
of
things,
it’s
nice
to
see
companies
doing
their
part
to
help
keep
the
noble
Apis
functioning.
So
frame
everything
we’re
going
to
say
here
through
the
lens
that
what
this
firm
is
doing
deserves
praise.
But
how
the
firm
markets
its
social
responsibility
to
its
employees
might
require
some
attention.
Enter
Fenwick
&
West,
a
firm
that
has
yet
to
match
the
latest
salary
jump
—
though
we
suspect
it
will
eventually.
The
firm
scored
a
messaging
victory
with
its
bonus
system
that
offers
a
little
extra
to
high
billers
so
they
can
actually
take
a
vacation,
so
it
knows
how
to
send
a
message.
But
they
can’t
all
be
home
runs.
Yes,
because
no
imagery
better
expresses
a
commitment
to
collegiality
and
work-life
balance
than
sitting
at
a
desk
watching
a
swarm
of
genetically
coded
serfs
toil
for
their
queen
until
the
moment
they
die
and
are
unceremoniously
dumped
on
the
ground
to
make
way
for
the
next
class.
Bees
do
have
a
superpower:
conveying
to
associates
the
virtue
of
quiet
servitude.
If
there’s
a
lesson
here,
it’s
not
that
no
good
deed
goes
unpunished,
it’s
that
not
every
good
deed
needs
a
livestream.
Just
chalk
this
one
up
to
“we’re
contributing
to
the
revitalization
of
the
Bay
Area
ecosystem”
and
file
it
with
the
year-end
social
responsibility
report.
Obviously
no
one
at
the
firm
was
trying
to
tell
associates,
“Watch
this,
everybody
—
see
how
these
little
jackholes
never
ask
their
queen
about
Milbank
sharing
royal
jelly?”
but
you
don’t
always
get
to
control
how
a
rhetorical
artifact
plays
out
once
it
leaves
your
hands.
Imagery
aside,
it
also
says,
“We
put
all
this
effort
into
food
porn
for
Pooh
Bear,
but
we’ve
not
had
time
to
hash
out
salary.”
Which
isn’t
necessarily
fair
because
it’s
not
like
the
same
firm
representatives
sorting
out
Operation
Honey
Pot
here
are
in
charge
of
comp
structure,
but
optics
aren’t
always
fair.
Honestly,
whenever
I’m
done
covering
this
industry,
firms
should
pay
me
as
an
outsider
to
just
to
read
their
internal
and
external
communications
and
tell
them,
“Okay,
here’s
how
this
one
unintentionally
backfires
on
you.”
Because
this
isn’t
the
first
story
I’ve
written
where
the
disconnect
between
praise
and
annoyed
tipsters
is
a
communication
breakdown.
My
free
advice
to
Fenwick
now
that
this
one
is
out
there
is
to
spin
it
as
“these
bees
are
working
from
home…
and
now
you
can
permanently
too!”
or
something.
So
good
for
Fenwick
for
investing
in
a
worthy
endeavor.
Just
remember
to
run
your
messaging
by
a
bigger
hivemind
first.
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments.
Follow
him
on Twitter if
you’re
interested
in
law,
politics,
and
a
healthy
dose
of
college
sports
news.
Joe
also
serves
as
a
Managing
Director
at
RPN
Executive
Search.