At home with a flexible future?

Before the Covid-19 crisis, the legal profession was already grappling with how best to create flexible work environments. At different points in their working lives, employees need, and are coming to expect, greater flexibility in their working lives, but many have been met with resistance from employers.

In the wider business world, few organisations truly embrace flexible working – over a one-year period, just 17 of the FTSE 100 companies advertising roles made it clear in job advertisements that specific flexible working practices were available.

The pandemic, however, has led to enforced homeworking for most of us. Once the immediate shock of current events dulls and we return to our workplaces, it’s unlikely we’ll see a return to the old ways of working.

We’ve seen how our systems and practices behave without the spaces and structures of office life. In the main, our industry has been doing an outstanding job in difficult circumstances. As we all adapt to this new Zoom-dominated world it’s clear how well remote and flexible working could work long term.

We’re all contending with the necessary limitations of nationwide lockdown, so it’s fair to say that the current crisis does not show homeworking at its best. Parents are forced to take on the additional burden of childcare; and the younger generation, living in flats and shared accommodation, may struggle to find the space to work effectively. Situations where face-to-face interaction really would be preferable are prohibited.

There’s a concern that if remote working is seen not to have worked well during this period, there will be a backlash once it’s over. I hope this is not the case and that the legal profession instead learns the right lessons – recognising the benefits of flexible working done properly without these additional pressures.

Just as employers used to talk about ‘total reward’, building in pensions, gym membership, onsite cafés and more to make work attractive, they should think the same way about flexibility. The best leaders don’t just value their team for the hours they put in; they reward them for values and behaviours. Organisations that facilitate bespoke solutions to allow people to combine their work and lifestyle aspirations will find they are better able to attract and retain the best talent. They can also expect higher levels of employee satisfaction and productivity and lower levels of sickness absence and stress.

Our industry can now move forward, with some of the old prejudices against non-traditional ways of working laid to rest. There is an opportunity to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis thinking differently about our work and making lasting, positive changes.