Pexels Gdtography 911738
  • Publish Date: Posted over 2 years ago
  • Author:by Cam d'Espagnac

Flexible Working in the workplace

As much as I love the legal profession and all of it’s quirks, I think most will admit that flexibility, in the past has generally been frowned upon. By flexibility, I mean part-time hours, condensed hours and working from home. Pre-COVID, there was a common feeling that you MUST be in the office in order to manage your case load, and the expectation to be on call (in the office) for clients during the normal 9 to 5, Monday to Friday was a must.COVID, although clearly causing many hardships and most sadly of course loss of life, has brought with it, some positive changes. In the legal profession (and other sectors), it has demonstrated that employees can and have succeeded in delivering the same level of client satisfaction and in many cases performance from Fee Earners and support staff has actually increased. IT systems, where they have not been modern, have had to be revolutionised and paper-based systems and files are, in many cases, being transferred to compliant and effective case management systems. It has also been proved that sickness levels have reduced and many staff report feeling stronger in terms of their mental health from being able to work from home.Now as we move back into the “normal world” and firms are seeing their staff return to offices, I have been having various conversations with HR Managers and Managing Partners about what they should do moving forwards.I think that many candidates (and current employees) are requesting flexibility from their employer, and in some cases where flexibility is not being offered, employees are leaving to find it elsewhere. That said, it also goes the other way and I have spoken to some candidates who are leaving their current employer in search of a firm which offers more of a “team atmosphere”.So what should law firms do? How can you attract and retain talent? How can you support and develop your junior members of staff when your Partners and senior Fee Earners wish to work from home most of the week?I think the short answer is simple – ask your staff what they want! And listen.However, the delivery of this can be quite different. Of course it depends on your firm’s setup (which can sometimes be complicated in Partnerships), and even more so, breaking this down into individual teams and recognising both strengths and weaknesses as well as technical ability and training/support/supervision requirements. Of course, there is also a large consideration to equal rights and ensuring that staff are all treated fairly!As we move forwards, I think firms need to be absolutely certain about the culture they are looking to achieve, and this of course comes under the headline “branding”. Once this is identified, it can be clearly communicated to the staff but also blasted far and wide into the market. If you get this right, attracting new talent is easy, and a clear brand helps to motivate current staff as it brings belonging and pride.I don’t think there is necessarily a hard and fast rule about how much home working you should or shouldn’t offer your staff, however what is key is that firms should give serious consideration to offering some flexibility.

Share this Article
Back to Blogs

As much as I love the legal profession and all of it’s quirks, I think most will admit that flexibility, in the past has generally been frowned upon. By flexibility, I mean part-time hours, condensed hours and working from home. Pre-COVID, there was a common feeling that you MUST be in the office in order to manage your case load, and the expectation to be on call (in the office) for clients during the normal 9 to 5, Monday to Friday was a must.

COVID, although clearly causing many hardships and most sadly of course loss of life, has brought with it, some positive changes. In the legal profession (and other sectors), it has demonstrated that employees can and have succeeded in delivering the same level of client satisfaction and in many cases performance from Fee Earners and support staff has actually increased. IT systems, where they have not been modern, have had to be revolutionised and paper-based systems and files are, in many cases, being transferred to compliant and effective case management systems. It has also been proved that sickness levels have reduced and many staff report feeling stronger in terms of their mental health from being able to work from home.

Now as we move back into the “normal world” and firms are seeing their staff return to offices, I have been having various conversations with HR Managers and Managing Partners about what they should do moving forwards.

I think that many candidates (and current employees) are requesting flexibility from their employer, and in some cases where flexibility is not being offered, employees are leaving to find it elsewhere. That said, it also goes the other way and I have spoken to some candidates who are leaving their current employer in search of a firm which offers more of a “team atmosphere”.

So what should law firms do? How can you attract and retain talent? How can you support and develop your junior members of staff when your Partners and senior Fee Earners wish to work from home most of the week?

I think the short answer is simple – ask your staff what they want! And listen.

However, the delivery of this can be quite different. Of course it depends on your firm’s setup (which can sometimes be complicated in Partnerships), and even more so, breaking this down into individual teams and recognising both strengths and weaknesses as well as technical ability and training/support/supervision requirements. Of course, there is also a large consideration to equal rights and ensuring that staff are all treated fairly!

As we move forwards, I think firms need to be absolutely certain about the culture they are looking to achieve, and this of course comes under the headline “branding”. Once this is identified, it can be clearly communicated to the staff but also blasted far and wide into the market. If you get this right, attracting new talent is easy, and a clear brand helps to motivate current staff as it brings belonging and pride.

I don’t think there is necessarily a hard and fast rule about how much home working you should or shouldn’t offer your staff, however what is key is that firms should give serious consideration to offering some flexibility.

Latest Blogs

View All Blogs
Handshake
Supporting Success Webinar Series: HR Essentials for a Great Place to Work

​In March, our Legal recruitment specialist Cam d'Espagnac teamed up with Jenny Reardon, HR Consultant and Elaine Abbs, Employment Solicitor from Rix & Kay's GatekeeperHR to deliver the first in a ...

Neurodiversity In The Workplace (14)
Levelling the playing field for neurodiverse recruiting

​Join us for a thought-proving 15 minute discussion with recruitment expert and neurodiversity advocate Colin Minto and Anthony Butler on how embracing neurodiversity can transform your workplace a...

Neurodivsirty
Ensuring your recruitment process embraces neurodiverse talent

​During National Neurodiversity Week (18-24 March 2024), it's important to highlight the significant challenge of recruiting neurodiverse talent. We know that 15-20%* of the population are consider...

Ir35 Compliance
Changes to the Off-Payroll Working Rules

​The Off-Payroll Working Rules are currently under consultation to change how HMRC account for taxes already paid by an individual and/or their intermediary when calculating Pay As You Earn liabi...

Insurance Fraud
Technology and Collaboration in Insurance’s fight against fraud

​It’s no secret that Fraud is one of the biggest problems the insurance sector faces, whether it’s committed by individuals opportunistically, or by sophisticated syndicates. In the current economi...

Charity
Announcing our Charity Partnerships for 2024 – Resurgo and The Trussell Trust

​GWV Talent Solutions (Trading as Gerrard White) is proud to announce its partnership with two exceptional charities, Resurgo, and The Trussell Trust, as part of its 2024 Corporate Social Responsib...

Nq Solicitor
Should you consider a role as an NQ Solicitor outside of London?

Are you seeking a role as an NQ Solicitor? Why limit your job search to London Law Firms?Typically, our London division is exceptionally busy recruiting Solicitors into Corporate and Real Estate...

Pas
Revolutionising Insurance: The Crucial Shift to Modern Policy Administration Systems (PAS)

​With an enormous amount of digital transformation happening in the insurance sector at present, one of the most common projects in play is replacing the current PAS (Policy Administration Systems)...

SAP S/4 HANA - Gerrard White's Global Expertise
Unlocking Global Potential with SAP S/4 HANA: Gerrard White's Worldwide Expertise

​In the race towards digital transformation, the shift to SAP S/4 HANA stands as a global imperative, transcending geographical boundaries. At Gerrard White, our expertise extends across the UK, EU...

Houses Of Parliamentr
Autumn Statement 2023: The Off-Payroll Offset

​In a relatively uneventful mini-budget for contractors, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has officially announced the implementation of the IR35 offset, effective from 6th April 2024. While this move was ...

Contracting
Why consider contractors over permanent hires within digital transformation and tech projects?

​With the transformation and wider technology market being incredibly fast paced, not to mention competitive, the wait for the right talent to stay ahead of timescales for key projects can be le...

AI In Claims Insurance
​What value can AI add to insurance claims?

The insurance industry has come a long way from traditional paper-based processes and manual claim assessments. With the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), insurers are now able to stre...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Insurance
Artificial Intelligence in the Insurance Industry: A 2023 Overview

​Over the last decade we have witnessed a seismic shift in the way the age-old Insurance sector operates. The game-changer? Artificial Intelligence (AI). In the early 2010s, the insurance industry...