At a law firm we know of, new employees (those hired after a certain date) have to work 40 hours, while current employees (those hired before that date) only have to work 37.5 hours. It won't surprise you to know that new employees are quite upset over this. It may surprise you to find out that current employees don't like the policy either.

Current employees view what management is doing as a "taking away" of something from the employee base. They view management as "cheap." The level of trust employees have in management has declined, as current employees are on guard, wondering what management will do next.

This new policy has the potential to decrease productivity, as some of the time previously spent working is now spent worrying and gossiping.

One would think that management would go out of its way to make new employees feel welcome. After all, a job change is one of the most stressful things a person can go through. It strikes me that the firm in question has made new employees feel particularly unwelcome.