Action Steps

 

Action Step – Seven Strategies for Managing Remote Teams

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

SEVEN STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING REMOTE TEAMS

Whether it’s full-time, remote work, to occasional telecommuting due to weather or other events that keeps someone from coming into the office, working remotely is becoming the norm. If you are supervising others in the knowledge-based workplace, chances are you are leading or will soon lead a team of individuals working remotely in some fashion. While good management and leadership skills apply regardless of how and where your team is physically working, here are some additional strategies that leaders need to employ to successfully manage remote teams…

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Action Step – Elements of a Well-Crafted Reduced Hours Policy

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

ELEMENTS OF A WELL-CRAFTED REDUCED HOURS POLICY

Reduced hours schedules are a critical part of holistic flexibility policies, which recognize that a diverse workforce requires different ways of getting great work done. Yet, reduced hours schedules tend to be the most stigmatized form of flexibility, too often misconstrued to signal a lack of commitment to one’s career. Reduced hours professionals were also once subjected to formal haircuts – that is, being paid less than the time agreed to work (e.g., 60 percent pay for a 75 percent schedule) – and many still do not receive a true-up when they work more than their agreed upon schedule. For these reasons and more, it is important for organizations to send a clear message of support for reduced hours schedules through a well-written policy that addresses the following key areas…
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Action Step – Teaching Flex Success™

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

TEACHING FLEX SUCCESS™

Holding everyone within an organization accountable for its flexibility program is critical to its success. Individuals, however, must first know what is expected of them and have the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to carry out those expectations. This is why a robust flex education program for lawyers and other professionals working flexibly, those who supervise them, and all members of an organization is essential. The information conveyed in these programs should be tailored to the needs of each group, covering the following fundamentals…. Read more

Action Step -The Path Forward: The Alliance’s Flex Success Framework™

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

THE PATH FORWARD: THE ALLIANCE’S FLEX SUCCESS FRAMEWORK™

A successful flexible work program requires strong buy-in, thoughtful implementation, and regular monitoring. It also needs to be adaptable – evolving with the organization as the needs of its people and clients change. Whether your organization needs to create a flexibility program from scratch, expand its existing program, or pinpoint issues within the current program, the Alliance’s Flex Success Framework™ provides a five-step road map to achieve your organization’s objectives. Read on for details about each step…

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Action Step – Reducing Bias In Evaluations: Action Steps to Limit the Influence of Bias (Part 2)

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

REDUCING BIAS IN EVALUATIONS:
ACTION STEPS TO LIMIT THE INFLUENCE OF BIAS (PART 2)

In Part I of this Action Step, we laid out the many ways that unconscious bias can affect evaluations by typically leading to more positive evaluations for white males and more negative evaluations for white females and attorneys of color. These effects explain, in part, the uneven playing field lawyers face and raises obvious concerns for a process we count on to be fair and impartial. So what do we do about it?

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Action Step -Reducing Bias In Evaluations: How and Why Bias Affects Performance Reviews (Part 1)

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

REDUCING BIAS IN EVALUATIONS:
HOW AND WHY BIAS AFFECTS PERFORMANCE REVIEWS (PART 1)

Most firms believe their evaluation system is fair. Most of those firms are wrong.

Research has shown that unconscious bias skews evaluations, despite the evaluators’ best efforts to be fair and impartial. A recent study even suggests the more we believe we are fair and impartial, the less likely we are actually to be so…

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Action Step – What’s In It For You? The Alliance’s Value Proposition

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
THE ALLIANCE’S VALUE PROPOSITION

It’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunities and challenges for your organization’s efforts to advance its diversity, inclusion, and flexibility agendas. As you map out a strategy to address what’s ahead, don’t go it alone – the Alliance is here to partner with you! Alliance member organizations have access to a trifecta of valuable resources: a community of peers, strategic advice from industry experts, and a wide variety of research tools. These resources can be summarized as the Alliance’s Value Proposition:

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Action Step – Reflecting Back and Looking Ahead: Setting A Vision for Your Diversity & Flexibility Initiatives

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

REFLECTING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD:
SETTING A VISION FOR YOUR DIVERSITY & FLEXIBILITY INITIATIVES 

The Alliance’s Action Step, Seven Strategies for Flex Success™, details the steps flex lawyers need to take to achieve success in their careers. The first step, setting a vision, is critical because it provides a target to guide one’s actions. A clear vision also supports effective, strategic organizational initiatives including diversity and flexibility programs. The dawn of a new, fiscal, or program year is an excellent time to take stock of the vision for your organizational efforts.  Here are a few points to guide the vision-setting process for your organization’s diversity and flexibility initiatives in the year ahead…

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Action Step – Speaking Success

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

SPEAKING SUCCESS

A recurring theme among the Alliance’s Flex Success™ Award winners, Spotlight on Flex features, and other diverse leaders highlighted at Alliance programs is that someone  – usually a leader in the organization – spoke success to them early in their careers. That is, someone in a position of power clearly communicated the expectation that these individuals would achieve leadership roles and other success markers within the organization and in their careers. While many who speak success go on to become sponsors by investing their time, talent, and knowledge so others can succeed, speaking success is a critical first step on that journey…

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Action Step – Formalizing Your Full-Time Flex Program

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility.  Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

FORMALIZING YOUR FULL-TIME FLEX PROGRAM

As supported by findings in the Alliance’s 2014 Law Firm Flexibility Benchmarking Survey Report and other industry sources, most major law firms make reduced hours schedules available to their attorneys, and many have a formal written policy reflecting this commitment. While many of these organizations recognize the need to have different types of flexible work options to meet the myriad needs of a diverse workforce, fewer have written policies for telecommuting and other full-time flexibility, such as flexible start/end times and annualized hours. Some do not see a need and others have concerns about policies being too rigid, but the Alliance recommends putting your organization’s full-time flexible work options in writing for three key reasons…

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