General counsel will need to rethink the way they organise their teams after COVID-19, according to a report by Obelisk Support
While the
pandemic has highlighted the role of flexible and remote working, the report
found that only 17 FTSE 100 companies advertise roles where flexible working
practices are available and only four referenced the availability of onsite
childcare.
The report,
‘Built to last? A blueprint for developing future-proof in-house legal teams’,
published this week, suggests in-house legal departments need to develop
long-term strategies on sustainable and flexible working cultures. It warns
that a business model that focuses on in-house lawyers delivering more for less
will eventually lead to staff burnout and reduced productivity.
Although the
research took place before the pandemic seized hold, the report’s authors
believe its impact is likely to accelerate the need to change working culture.
Dana
Denis-Smith, CEO of Obelisk Support, which provides experienced lawyers on a
flexible basis, says: ‘Once the immediate shock of current events dulls and we
return to our offices, I can see a way for our industry to move forward with
some of the old prejudices against non-traditional ways of working laid to
rest.
‘We have been
forced to see how our systems and practices behave without the spaces and
structures of office life. In the main, our industry is doing an outstanding
job in the most difficult of circumstances. Imagine how well remote and
flexible working can work without the necessary limitations of nationwide
lockdown.
‘There is an
opportunity to emerge from the Covid-19 crisis thinking differently about our
work and making lasting, positive changes.’
The report
identifies five pillars that will be crucial as in-house teams recover. First,
creating truly flexible work environments where people can thrive across their
different life stages. Second, developing varied and challenging career paths
to build business and legal skills. Third, paying attention to employees’
health and wellbeing. Fourth, encouraging diversity and building inclusive
cultures to enable improved performance. Fifth, team leaders acting as role
models for the change they want to see.
Writing in the
foreword, Crispin Passmore, a former director of the Solicitors Regulation
Authority, Legal Services Board and Legal Services Commission, says: ‘General
Counsel will have a key role to play at the end of the current crisis by
offering the emerging workforce a compelling vision of the future that
encompasses not only the exciting role the business will play, but also where
they as individuals fit now and throughout their career. That requires openness,
diversity, inclusion, flexibility and plurality.’
