Konica Minolta: Make wellbeing a priority to attract and retain talent
As recently reported, a number of international law firms are launching wellness programmes and other measures to retain staff and attract fresh talent. Research by Thomson Reuters also suggests that clients are particularly looking to invest in trusted relationships with their legal advisers, putting a clear onus on firms to build and maintain a strong and resilient team of legal professionals, paralegals, and support staff.
The legal profession has been far from immune to the pressures of the pandemic. Ever-increasing workloads have been exacerbated by the practical and mental challenges of remote working. A recent study by the mental health legal charity LawCare reported that 70% of those surveyed between October 2020 and January 2021 had experienced mental health issues over the previous 12 months. Nearly 30% reported that their role required them to be available to clients 24 hours a day, while 12% said they averaged less than five hours of sleep per night.
These figures paint a worrying picture of the health and wellbeing of legal sector workers, but there is much that firms can do to help staff deal with these pressures, lifting unnecessary burdens where possible and making the workplace a more nurturing and supportive environment.
Supporting the work/life balance
Matching client demand to your team resources can be quite a challenge, especially when the market is fluctuating. It is essential that your team works at its most efficient, but I would argue that also includes ensuring employees have the support from their business systems to thrive in their role, even if the workload increases.
Automating the more straightforward and laborious tasks through digital transformation is a great example of this approach. The legal industry relies upon a wide variety of back-office tasks, with filing and securely sharing important documents and notes, and billing clients/administering accounts as key examples. Whilst they are vital functions, they can also be time-consuming and often tedious, paving the way for errors and adding to the stress of the individual or team doing it manually.
Equally, if you run a firm that still relies on physical paperwork it also means employees are tied to the office and lose some of the agile benefits of remote working. A recent survey of UK lawyers showed that two-thirds felt remote working had a positive impact on their wellbeing, so being able to securely share communications and documents with team members is undoubtedly an attractive proposition for many employees.
Business benefits
At the same time, as well as pleasing employees they can also be more productive, armed with the tools they need to speed through their tasks – which is better for your clients and ultimately better for the business as a whole.
There are other benefits too. By enabling your workforce to work remotely you reduce travel costs, both business miles and employee commuting, along with embracing associated environmental benefits. Ultimately, your business may also find that it can reduce its office running costs too, with smaller premises and the associated lower rental and energy consumption savings.
Employee expectations
Undoubtedly the pandemic upheaval has seen employee expectations evolve and change. Whereas in the past many people were motivated by salary and the associated financial package, they are now increasingly aware of the benefits of more flexible working and having more of an emotional investment in the business.
This is something we at Konica Minolta have found first-hand. When interviewing potential employees, a lot of feedback has suggested they would value a happy work/life balance more than a larger salary alone. Our team has also warmly embraced the creation of specific network and support groups within our business – LGBTQ+, a Women’s Network, and one for Health and Wellbeing, for example. As a business we are also keen supporters of mental health and have worked in partnership with MIND to raise awareness and extend support to our employees, partners, and customers.
In an already potentially stressful workplace environment, it is vital that people feel supported, listened to, and equipped with the right tools to do their job to the best of their ability and without any further unnecessary stress. Often these initiatives require little funding, but simply the time and commitment of the business and its employees.
Clearly, legal firms (like most other industries) are only as good as the expert people who run them. Employees are the lifeblood of any business, and we are seeing those looking to move jobs during this period of churn viewing potential roles with even greater scrutiny. Recruiting and retaining the best talent is essential in enabling your business to thrive and embrace the opportunities ahead.
