Slaughter and May associates will have the option to reduce their hours down by 20% under the new “switch on/off” scheme. The scheme will allow lawyers to take pre-agreed blocks of leave. This will allow those with children to better align their leave with school holidays, though Slaughter and May have stated that the programme is not exclusively for parents.
The second part-time scheme to be introduced by Slaughter and May will centre around project-led flexibility. Associates at the firm will be offered the opportunity to reduce their hours by a maximum of 20% and book unpaid holiday leave between large transactions. This is on top of their regular annual leave allowance, enabling associates to commit to working end-to-end throughout a transaction.
The third programme to be offered by the firm will allow associates to split their hours by arranging for two associates to work together to cover one role. This job share option will not require two associates of the same level to pair up. As such, the scheme could see a junior associate pairing up with a senior associate to cover a role. Each associate would be expected to work just three days a week, with a one day overlap where they are both at work.
Slaughter and May’s three part-time working programmes follow its announcement of its wider back-to-the-office plan. According to Legal Cheek, the firm stated that most of its London-based staff would be allowed to work remotely 40% of the time, with the remaining 60% of work hours to be conducted from the office.
