Working from home – a sign of the times?

Let’s set the scene; it’s 2019, you’re a Junior Lawyer, and you ask for three days a week working from home. The smart money’s on your request being declined, not being fit for business needs, and being off-kilter to “how we have always done things.”

Fast-forward to today, and you may be reading this from the area of your home now exclusively reserved for home-working, with the past two years universally highlighting its merit, with lessons learned in mitigating its drawbacks. Regardless of your views and preferences – home working is here to stay.

Last year, over a third of the UK workforce, spent some time working from home. Historically, the legal sector is perceived as being “behind the times”. However, the industry responded to COVID swimmingly, with nearly 80% of asked lawyers stating that they continue to work effectively from home. Although the main barriers reported were IT and collaboration across teams, these problems were mostly resolved swiftly.

The increased flexibility on hours, coupled with not having a commute, has opened up lots more personal time for most lawyers, positively impacting those queried on their wellbeing. For those with families, this means more time with children and reduced costs for childcare; something most would be hesitant to turn their back on.

Whilst wellbeing has gone up; some firms have been less successful in ensuring their obligations as employers are met. A recent survey has suggested that 80% (as published by LinkedIn) of those newly working from home have experienced back pain and physical discomfort, as “working from a laptop on a dining table” for 8 hours a day takes its collective toll. The same rules apply to occupational health, whether working from the office or at home.

Another concern raised by lawyers is the diminished sense of teamwork. While people are presented with more free time, this comes at the cost of being daily exposed to those more senior, from other legalities, and those that take different approaches to complexities. Learning through osmosis is a natural part of being a lawyer. While regular meetings, drop-ins, and talking with a colleague at the touch of the button are alternatives, the old ways shall always remain the best for learning on the job.

The majority of those questions have said they would change roles if they were to lose the option to work from home, with most firms now having or being in the process of establishing a policy post-Covid. Most City firms are set to permit on average two days, with larger regionally firms being more proactive, allowing people to choose whilst re-evaluating what the modern office means to them. The days of “cookie-cutter” offices and rows of desks are numbers, making way for shared working and collaboration spaces.

Whatever home-working means to you, lawyers increasingly have the option to work in firms whose policy aligns with their wishes, with many opting for pastures anew for this reason alone.

Written by Carl Pace, Principal Consultant on the South West.