Bright Spot: Ogletree, Deakins’ Family Leave Policy and Supporting Initiatives
In an effort to inform and inspire our members and friends, we often share diversity and flexibility Bright Spots – those small or large successes that impact an organization in a positive way. We believe that important diversity and flexibility initiatives can truly impact your organization’s bottom line, recruitment and retention capabilities and employee satisfaction.
BRIGHT SPOT
Ogletree Deakins’ gender-neutral Family Leave policy is an impressive Bright Spot. Comprehensively developed, this policy provides a wide range of support mechanisms for attorneys during and following their family leave.
Ogletree’s family leave initiative includes the following benefits:
- A gender-neutral Paid Parental Leave (PPL) benefit of up to 16 weeks salary is provided to any attorney on an approved leave after the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child.
- To further help ease an attorney’s transition back to work after the leave, the firm provides an additional on-ramping program which allows for reduced billable hours for a limited period of time. Attorneys are not required to formally request on-ramping and the program does not affect compensation.
- Attorneys who are parents also have access to an on-demand back-up childcare service in the event of last minute childcare needs. (This service is also available for the care of an aging parent or other adult dependents.)
- A “Milk Stork” program supports nursing mothers by coordinating the shipment of milk when the mother is traveling on firm business.
- A business resource group, ODFamily, serves as a resource to assist parents transitioning back to work.
- Each new parent has access to an e-course that helps new parents prepare for the transition back to work and offers web community support for questions and resources.
Bright Spot: Kutak Rock’s COVID-19 Response
In an effort to inform and inspire our members and friends, we often share diversity and flexibility Bright Spots – those small or large successes that impact an organization in a positive way. We believe that important diversity and flexibility initiatives can truly impact your organization’s bottom line, recruitment and retention capabilities and employee satisfaction.
BRIGHT SPOT
Kutak Rock’s operating procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic are clear Bright Spots that demonstrate its people-first philosophy. Before the COVID-19 National Emergency was declared on March 13, 2020, the firm’s Regional Managing Partner for D.C. and Virginia had begun discussions with firm leadership about operating procedures aimed at keeping people safe at home and working. The procedures, which remain today and apply to all staff and attorneys, allowed for 100% remote working on a “reason-neutral” basis.
Kutak Rock leadership worked with each employee on a case-by-case basis to ensure that everyone continued to be productive and maintain their positions and their employment status while working remotely. The focus continues to be on keeping all employees and offices safe from COVID (first and foremost) and helping every individual become productive in this unique COVID work environment.
The firm also made it a priority to provide several training sessions focused on remote learning, including: