Action Steps

 

Action Step – Working Outside the Box: Tips for Establishing A Telecommuting 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.

WORKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: TIPS FOR ESTABLISHING A TELECOMMUTING POLICY

Telecommuting is an important part of holistic flexibility and can be considered “low-hanging fruit” if your firm is looking for ways to build its flexibility program. While many firms may allow their attorneys to telecommute informally, establishing a formal telecommuting policy is important for the following reasons:

  1. Consistency
  2. Setting Expectations
  3. Credit
  4. Helps Set Firm Culture
  5. Technology…

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Action Step – Pushing Back on Schedule Creep

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.

PUSHING BACK ON SCHEDULE CREEP

We all know what schedule creep is: the tendency of reduced hours to creep back up to full-time levels while pay remains decreased. It starts for several reasons: unavoidable client demands; court-ordered deadlines; accepting too much work; senior lawyers who are unaware of junior lawyers’ schedules; and possibly senior lawyers who are passive-aggressively expressing their distaste for reduced hours. When it happens over a sustained period of time, it undermines a lawyer’s reduced hours agreement and can damage the effectiveness of the flexible work program itself. Fortunately, there are solutions… Read more

Action Step – Making Business Development A Priority for Flex or Reduced Hours Attorneys

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.

MAKING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT A PRIORITY FOR FLEX OR REDUCED HOURS ATTORNEYS

The failure to develop business is a disastrous mistake. Having a book of business can counteract virtually all of the perceived negative effects of working flexibly. Consider the following:

  1. Income from origination credits offsets income lost when fewer hours are billed;
  1. Pro-active business development undercuts the notion that a flexible or reduced hours lawyer is not committed to the job or firm;
  1. Having your own clients makes it easier to control your schedule and avoid scheduling conflicts…

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Action Step – Connecting Work-Life Control Tools to Diversity, Inclusion & Recruitment

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.

CONNECTING WORK-LIFE CONTROL TOOLS TO DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & RECRUITMENT

Tools commonly used to make flexible working programs more effective and less stigmatized can also be used to strengthen diversity and inclusion programs. Flexibility can be used as a recruitment and retention tool, but employers need to continue to work towards eliminating flexibility stigma… Read more

Action Step – Flexibility & Diversity: Twin Pillars of Legal Talent Management

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.

FLEXIBILITY & DIVERSITY: TWIN PILLARS OF LEGAL TALENT MANAGEMENT

Diversity and flexibility often are thought of as separate solutions that address separate problems. Traditionally, diversity has been thought of as increasing the headcount of underrepresented groups and flexibility has been thought of as a way to retain women lawyers once they become mothers. More modern thinking has broadened our understanding and our approaches to solving the problems of under-representation and unwanted attrition: “inclusion” is now established as the way to enable lawyers in all groups to achieve professional success and “work-life control” is the way to retain good lawyers regardless of gender, ethnicity, or life circumstance to achieve professional success. Despite the obvious overlap, we still overlook the strong connection between these two disciplines, and we deprive ourselves from useful tools to advance… Read more

Action Step – Using Diversity & Inclusion Tools in Work/Life Programs

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.

USING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION TOOLS IN WORK LIFE PROGRAMS

Tools commonly used to increase diversity and inclusion can also be used to strengthen work/life programs. Some examples are:

  1. Awareness Training: Legal employers often provide training about bias, including in-group favoritism and micro-aggressions, as part of their diversity and inclusion initiatives. Similar bias can also undermine work/life programs, and awareness training is a key step toward eliminating it…

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Action Step – Five Mistakes Supervisors Make When Evaluating Flexible Schedule Associates

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.

FIVE MISTAKES SUPERVISORS MAKE WHEN EVALUATING FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE ASSOCIATES

Nearly invisible and yet very powerful, flexibility stigma can infiltrate associate evaluations and undermine even the best flexible work program. Here are five mistakes supervisors make when evaluating associates who work flexibly – and how to fix them… Read more

Action Step – Assign Work Equitably

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.

ASSIGN WORK EQUITABLY

Assignments are a key component to determining a lawyer’s success. They provide training, experience, client contact, and the opportunity to work with senior attorneys. They engage a lawyer and make him/her feel involved in working toward a meaningful goal. Lawyers measure their progress and advancement against their peers by comparing: assignments; working for more prestigious clients; working with respected senior lawyers; and how much responsibility they have on matters. Read more

Action Step – Flexible Flexibility: Individually-Tailored Schedules

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.

FLEXIBLE FLEXIBILITY: INDIVIDUALLY-TAILORED SCHEDULES

Flexibility is a two-way street. To be effective, flexible work programs have to provide what lawyers want and meet the needs of the organization and clients. The legal profession is a service-driven one; accordingly, outlining expectations for a flex lawyer’s availability when client emergencies arise is critical to the viability of the organization. Flexible flexibility is good. Well conceived written policies that provide flexible flexibility are even better… Read more

Action Step – Five Essential Characteristics of an Effective Written Flexible Work 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.

FIVE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE WRITTEN FLEXIBLE WORK POLICY

A written flex policy has clear benefits. It gives the employer control over the terms of the program and guidelines for managing it. It also encourages lawyers to use the policy to curb unwanted attrition, and thereby reducing flexibility stigma. Here are five essential characteristics of an effective written flex policy to consider:

  1. The policy should be designed by the organization
  2. The policy should allow attorneys to create a schedule that fits their needs…

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