In March 2020 law firms were forced to consider how they could quickly adapt their working environment to a world in lockdown. It set the wheels in motion for big change.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s beneficial to reflect on these structural and cultural changes and understand how these will impact on future progress.
Here I explore the most significant shift in post-pandemic law firms; flexible working options and the impact this has on staff engagement.
Where We Work
Before the pandemic, dedicated work-from-home days were a rarity among lawyers in my network. However, within hours of our first lockdown, the entire legal sector experienced a complete shift. Fast forward to today and hybrid working arrangements for lawyers are now the norm.
In retrospect, it’s remarkable how few firms had previously embraced remote work by choice.
The tech and IT sectors were ahead of the game. They proved long ago that local roles could be performed offshore and in different time zones, supported by the right technology.
Law firms are now adopting the same approach, undergoing a time of rapid and irreversible progress, with many mutually beneficial results.
The pros to flexible work arrangements
Working from home in lockdown highlighted just how archaic the rigid 9-5 office model is.
The upside of flexibility? We’re now seeing lawyers work as and when they wish (a low-risk proposition for those accountable to each six-minute period of their workday); a longer working day without commuting time; increased productivity for lawyers needing time to work without interruptions; better career pathways for parents; and access to a national talent pool for building teams.
The cons
While the benefits of flexible work arrangements outweigh the risks, it’s essential for firms to address the potential downside.
Reduced staff – and occasionally partner – engagement presents a significant challenge. From my own daily interactions with lawyers, I see less engaged team members are less connected, less collaborative, not as well trained and, perhaps most significantly, less loyal.
Many lawyers who thrived previously in connected team environments are feeling as if their firms are disappearing out from under them. Where their workplace was once a supportive home full of familiar faces, it’s now a group of individuals interacting through screens.
On balance
Law firms who have successfully adapted to flexible and hybrid models have mastered the balance between flexibility and staff engagement, while those who have tipped too far in either direction have already seen significant declines in commitment and retention.
Those trying to correct course to find the right balance may be tempted to regress back towards the ‘old’ ways. To those firms I’d say, beware: the flexibility toothpaste can’t be put back in the tube.