ipupdate blawgs about the US Patent Office Professionals Association calling the USPTO a sweatshop. Apparently they fire a much greater number of employees than any other federal office and the moral is lower than in Hitler’s bunker. Apparently in a four year period 65% of new employees drop out due to the pressures and dissatisfaction with the low pay and conditions.
As one not privy to the entrails of the USPTO the article contained a number of surprises for Geeklawyer. Apparently they have introduced a “quality initiative” with an in-process review and a “second pair of eyes” system to review work. Most USPTO clients and industry observers will need to sniff smelling salts at that improbable news.
It seems that supervisors prey on the indifferent performance of junior staff, subjecting them, presumably, to unfair criticism humiliation and mockery. This has led to paranoia low moral and bitterness.
At this they are demoralised? At any of Geeklawyer’s old firms that would have been rank flirtation.
Well, that’s not the way it works, seems you were left with the impression of the USPTO as the halls of a middle school where bullies reign. We hardly ever see our supervisors, or talk to them. Communication occurs through numbers, and numbers alone. We know our production goals, we know how we are doing, sort of like tracking your grades at school. We cringe at certain things, that well, at the most, might make our job a tad less than perfect. I come in whenever I want, leave whenever I want. Commuting is more than paid for. I can work compensation time and then leave for months at a time. Thus, a second pair of eyes is a mere inconvenience of the slightest sort, which just might get to a highly egocentric examiner, e.g. maybe a ‘primary’ who until then thought her/himself god, because at that point in their career they don’t ever interact with anyone, and the fact that maybe, once a year, a memo will appear in their box affirming one of their cases was reviewed, is unconceivable to them, well because, they’re god, you know? The other examiners (junior) always have their cases reviewed anyway, no no no, no interaction here either with our supervisors, cases are signed in and put on a stack at your reviewer’s office (could be your supervisor), and then, after you’ve watched the funny videos of the day on youtube.com, check your 6 emails, go for a yummy cappuccino at Bread and Chocolate down the street, come back finish another case, update your journal, read your favorite blogs, go home and come in in the morning, you feel like correcting the case and go pick it up at your box, the case will have corrections and suggestions in conveniently noticeable red ink. Anyway, I’m under the impression you’re British, have read your other postings, and it is my dream to one day migrate to Europe, since America, as a whole, IS a legal sweatshop.
[…] USPTO has significant problems. It has a staff turnover that would alarm MacDonalds, the place is a sweatshop and the staff demoralised. They can’t seem to recruit people, recruit the right people, hang […]