Diversity & Flexibility Alliance To Present Inaugural Flex Impact Awards
Hogan Lovells, Winston & Strawn Recognized for Impactful Flexibility Innovations
WASHINGTON, DC, February 27, 2017 — The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance (the “Alliance”) has announced it will present its inaugural Flex Impact Awards to law firms, Hogan Lovells US LLP, for its Agile Working Initiative, and Winston & Strawn LLP, for its new gender-neutral Parental Leave Policy.
The Flex Impact Award recognizes policies or initiatives that are poised to have a significant impact on the culture of flexibility in an organization or industry through positive change in the workplace, the success of the business, and/or the recruitment and retention of talent. The Awards will be received by Eve Howard, Regional Managing Partner for Hogan Lovells’ Washington, D.C. Region, and Linda Coberly, Managing Partner of Winston & Strawn’s Chicago office, at the Alliance’s annual conference, Diversity + Flexibility = An Evolving Culture, on March 16 in Washington, DC. Both award recipients will sit on the panel, “Cultural Innovations with Impact” and describe their firms’ initiatives, including the research, implementation, challenges and outcomes. Registration for the conference is available here.
“These initiatives not only benefit the firms where they are implemented, but they will truly impact the entire industry,” said Manar Morales, President and CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “These firms are pioneering new approaches to flexibility, and in so doing, enhancing the well-being of their employees, improving the recruitment and retention of talent, and boosting their business success.”
Hogan Lovells is being recognized for its Global Agile Working Initiative which was rolled out in early 2016. Through this initiative, every attorney and business services member in all offices around the world is entitled to explore his or her own unique agile working plan. Each schedule can include any aspect of agile working such as remote working, reduced hours, staggered arrival and departure times, job sharing, and telecommuting. In the development of the initiative, Hogan Lovells created a “tool kit” to help explain and implement the policy and initiated a pilot program with a large group of corporate transactional attorneys each adopting his or her unique agile work plan.
“It’s an honor to be recognized with the first-ever Flex Impact Award from the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. Agile working at Hogan Lovells is about embracing ways of working that are more innovative and efficient and designed to give each member of our firm more control over how to balance personal and professional lives, while continuing to deliver outstanding service to our clients,” said Eve Howard. “We are committed to supporting our employees in their professional development – whatever direction that might take – and we have found that agile working has allowed us to foster a range of needs and interests, improving our talent retention, and promoting stronger engagement while maintaining our sense of community.”
Winston & Strawn will be recognized for its gender-neutral Parental Leave Policy implemented in 2016 that allows up to 20 weeks of paid leave for attorneys regardless of gender. Parents are not required to designate themselves as “primary” or “secondary” caregivers, a distinction the firm believes does not always reflect the needs of today’s families with two working parents. Under the new policy, leave can be taken all at one time or in two increments within a year of the birth or adoption of a child. Additionally, a Parental Leave Transition Support Program was implemented and includes a Parental Leave Liaison, a confidential career coach, and “ramp down” and “ramp up” periods during which billable hours can be adjusted to aid in the transition for new parents. The policy applies to all U.S.-based Associates and of counsel attorneys. Similar improvements were made to the policies for practice attorneys and staff.
“Winston & Strawn is honored to be nominated for the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance Flex Impact Award,” said Linda Coberly. “I’m very proud of the work our firm has done in this area. The firm’s progressive, truly gender-neutral parental leave policies help ensure that our attorneys and staff who are also parents can have long-term career success. We’re also proud that our policy has played a role in pushing the conversation in the wider legal industry. It’s so important to promote policies that will continue to shift the culture in our industry to the point where parenthood and childrearing are no longer regarded as women’s issues.”
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The Diversity and Flexibility Alliance is a think tank that collaborates with organizations to develop non-stigmatized flexible work policies that promote inclusive work cultures and help to advance more women into leadership positions. The Alliance provides practical research-based solutions, training workshops, and strategic advisory services that increase organizational effectiveness through diversity and flexibility.
Contact —
Manar Morales
President & CEO
manar@dfalliance.com