Jonathan Taylor, Director at Sonder Consultants in London, discusses remote working post-pandemic and why firms need to embrace it in order to retain and attract top talent.
June 21st. The date on everyone’s lips in England. A return to normal life, no restrictions, no social distancing and yes, you can have a drink in the pub! But what about the workplace?
Back in June of 2020, a survey of over 2,500 law firm staff revealed that over 50% wanted to either work only one or two days in the office (42%) or had no desire to return to an office environment at all (10%).
Whilst it is clear employees have become accustomed to new operational changes, processes, and client meetings in the virtual world, the question is how important are effective remote working practices to lawyers in the future?
Some interesting answers have emerged from exclusive research findings in Life after Lockdown (LAL), published in October 2020. Although 68% of respondents said that working hour flexibility had improved and the absence of a daily commute has been a big plus, many heads of legal also commented on the inevitable blurring between work and home life, especially with increased workloads and reduced legal budgets. One lawyer said the fundamental flaw was that remote working became ‘living at work’. And with business calls forwarded to personal mobiles, some lawyers felt they are ‘never away from the office.’
The same story applies to US Firms. For most of the pandemic, law firm associates have long felt they live to work – and not the other way around. In fact, a recent Bloomberg report revealed that the average length of the workday had extended by nearly 2.5 hours.
After having several conversations with people in our network, it has become apparent that while lawyers want to work from home, some firms are struggling to implement best practices surrounding remote working. This has led lawyers to ask more questions about firm culture, values and working from home policies when looking for a new role.
So, how can firms effectively manage remote legal teams?
1) Emphasise Communication
When working remotely, employees risk losing their sense of connectivity and team, not to mention opportunities for humour and lighter conversations. To avoid this, host regular live meetings, create opportunities for people to connect, invest in technology that drives collaboration and most importantly set up communication guidelines. Emphasise its importance, its purpose and make them feel part of a team.
Tip! Communicate success stories regularly – especially for those that may be working remotely for the first time. This will keep people motivated and ensure spirits remain high throughout the day.
2) Be flexible and promote a healthy balance
Offering flexibility for staff to create their own schedule will go a long way, especially for those with children. For individuals living alone, encourage regular breaks and exercise. Weekly staff newsletters that offer wellbeing advice, informal phone calls and social initiatives can and will promote and form healthy habits.
3) Utilise new technology
Ensure your team has the right equipment and access to everything they need to do their job successfully. Slow servers, crashing laptops and no access to essential systems can demotivate staff. Make sure they are aware of new advancements in technology and stay on top of your game with the latest apps and platforms that will make day-to-day activities easier.
Check out these top apps for lawyers, recommended by our Legal Technology Specialist.
4) Ensure your team has ample back office and administrative support
If your remote teams need additional help from legal secretaries and IT assistance, it is essential to continue offering this while working from home. If you are unable to provide this in-house, think about outsourcing these resources.
Read more top tips for effectively leading a remote team here.
Moving forward, some 57% of lawyers have indicated that WFH availability would be a ‘major’ factor in employer choice, with a further 22% saying it would be a minor consideration.
It’s important to remember that it’s not just employees that benefit from remote working models. Despite the steps partners need to take to manage legal teams from home effectively, there’s no doubt that it has scaled back hefty office expenses.
Firms such as Slater and Gordon have downsized offices in favour of a greater emphasis on remote teams. Other firms like DWF and Clifford Chance have responded to COVID by going paperless as both a time and cost-saving exercise. Bloomberg reports that this may lead to more of their work being digitally documented in the future and less reliance on a physical work space.
In recent years we have also seen a increase in fully virtual law firms, like the San Francisco-based VLP Law Group LLC, which has no brick-and-mortar offices. The successful business model requires staff members to create his or her own work environment, whether it’s their home or rented office space.
Therefore, be it a temporary, part-time or a permanent way of operating, it seems at least some element of remote working is here to stay and effective policies are driving employer choice!
If you have any questions regarding the information above or would like to learn more about the current legal market in London, reach out directly to Jonathan Taylor on: jonathan.taylor@sonderconsultants.com
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