Interview: the work/life balance

Birmingham commercial firm, Putsman.wlc, has launched an HR initiative that offers employees a choice of working patterns including flexible hours and working from home. For businesses as a whole it’s a dramatic, and perhaps risky, step to take. For a law firm, it’s a whole new ball game. Caroline Poynton talks to Julia Holden, managing partner at Putsman.wlc, about the initiative and what it means for employees and the firm as a whole.

1. Your firm has recently launched an HR initiative that could revolutionise the working lives of many of your employees. Can you describe the initiative, how long it has been in place and what you are now offering your staff?

Work/life balance will mean different things to different people. Our initiative allows flexible working hours and working patterns with IT support to allow staff to work from home. Some of our departments have offered this flexibility for several years but we have now made it available to everyone in the firm.

2. I have little doubt that employees have reacted very warmly to the initiative - did you or anyone else have any concerns before going ahead?

I had very few concerns about bringing in a flexible culture, providing everybody understood that our most important consideration was client care. Providing our clients’ needs are seen as paramount, and we continue to respect our colleagues’ work, then any changes to make life better can only be welcomed.

Some of my partners were alarmed by my proposals, I think change is always a little scary. Despite this, once we spent time explaining the process and its advantages, everybody became really enthusiastic.

3. What aspects of your firm do you feel were conducive to the introduction of such an initiative? For example, do you think your recent merger helped to create a more modern adaptable culture?

Being middle sized meant that to stay ahead of the game, we have always had to think creatively. To obtain and retain the highest quality staff in Birmingham, we have always had to offer something extra. Now as a result of our merger and recent growth, we are much larger (eighth in the midlands) and we have the advantage of size, but we still like to spend time looking for ways to improve the way we work for our clients and staff.

4. I understand that you will be offering your entire 250-strong workforce a range of working options. How will you manage the resulting preferences that so many employees might choose? Could it not turn into a logistical nightmare?

We have spent time organising the process to avoid such problems. A large number of our staff members are already working under flexible systems at home and in the office. The introduction has not caused us problems so far. On the contrary, it has been very rewarding bringing in these changes and being able to help people enjoy the benefits of our cultural change.

5. Will you introduce any new procedures to monitor your more flexible workforce?
Very few new systems had to be introduced. All staff log into the system from their computers, which will provide them and HR with details of hours worked.

6. How important do you think teamwork is to a legal practice and how will you maintain it alongside a flexible approach to working hours and location?
When we were school children, we were told that the Pharaohs built the pyramids. If you go to see them, you will hardly believe that they could have been created by human hand. As adults we all know that a good team is stronger than its constituent parts. Introducing flexible working has encouraged us to think about how our working processes impact on our colleagues. Spending time talking to each other as part of a team has been an invaluable part of the process, and has often produced even greater flexibility than was at first envisaged.

7. Do you foresee any problems in maintaining a high level of client service either in the transitional short term of implementing your initiative or in the long term? How will you overcome any challenges you foresee?
Client service is paramount and we have to put the client first in all our projects. This has meant that some staff have not yet been able to take advantage of our new initiative, but we are looking for ways to improve this in the future. Retention of existing staff and the ability to recruit exceptional candidates, help ensure our service to our clients is of the very highest quality. Our clients are very supportive of this initiative.

8. In the long term, what internal and external impact do you think this initiative will have on your firm and do you think that other law firms will be following your lead?
The main benefit already noted is a happier work force with individuals that are more in control of their day-to-day lives. It has increased the pool of recruits available to fill vacancies and has already reduced staff turnover. Working from home has improved productivity and cut down on the stress of travelling to work. Staff appreciate the time we spend assisting them to have a better quality of life and it is hard for them to find other equally flexible and friendly law firms to work for. So far, the benefits of our policy have far outweighed the problems.

Julia Holden is managing partner at Putman.wlc. She can be contacted at julia.holden@pwlc.co.uk