45 FEB 2022 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM EMBRACING THE FUTURE OF THE LAW FIRM in this transition, especially as we moved to remote working models. Ensuring remote databases and systems were secure was vital, allowing people to work anywhere without compromising their clients’ privacy. Overall, coordinating the switch was a considerable administrative task, and one that had to happen practically overnight. Huge credit must be given to the often unsung legal IT teams. Culture shift Ways of working in general have also had to change. Now that remote working has proven to be successful, employees expect a level of flexibility as standard – choosing where they work, how they work and when they work, so that they can fit their jobs around their lives rather than the other way around. Introducing principles, such as Shakespeare Martineau’s ‘empowered working’, which are founded on a basis of trust and support people to work in a way that suits them, whilst still looking after clients and team needs, can be a good place to start. Firms that fail to embrace this will struggle to retain and recruit in what is already a challenging market. Regarding recruitment, remote working has allowed firms to expand their talent pool, focusing more on values and cultural fit rather than whether a person lives close enough to commute. As a result, taking a more flexible approach benefits not only employees, but employers too. Following the implementation of the more ‘practical’ elements of change, the focus now needs to switch to cultural transformation. By reviewing business strategies, firms may find that the longterm plans they had before the pandemic are no longer relevant. Whether they need a few tweaks or a complete overhaul, the focus should always be on people (both clients and employees), including their wellbeing and development. There is no such thing as B2B; P2P (people to people) is even more relevant now than it was before the events of the last two years. Pivoting towards ESG When adapting a business strategy,
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