Businesswoman working from home.Lawyers and law firm staff enjoy working remotely so much that 67% want to continue that arrangement once offices fully reopen following the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey by a company that does leadership training for firms.
The online survey of 25 firms conducted in mid-May by Loeb Leadership, based in New Jersey, found that nearly seven of every 10 people working at firms want to continue working remotely, at least a few days a week, once it’s safe to return to offices.
That is key information for managing partners to consider as firms begin to redeploy lawyers and staff to offices, and as firm leaders consider whether they even need as much office space in a post-pandemic world. But some consultants warn that interest in working from home may wane as it becomes safer to go out in public.
David Robert, chief strategy officer for Loeb Leadership, said the survey finding reinforces what he’s been hearing in conversations with law firm clients.
“A vast majority of employees want their role to remain, in some degree, remote,” Robert said.
Consultants are hearing the same thing from clients.
Lisa Smith, a principal at Fairfax Associates in Washington, D.C., said she’s hearing that people miss the socialization aspect of being in the office but also appreciate not having to commute.
She’s not surprised that the majority of lawyers and firm staff want to continue to work from home some of the time, but she would be surprised to hear that people want to do it all of the time.
“I think people miss it more than they expected,” she said.
Smith said some managing partners she’s talked to are skeptical that lawyers and staff have been as productive or as available at home as in the office, but for COVID-19-related reasons, such as having to homeschool children, or to deal with other matters because the entire family has been housebound together.
Kent Zimmermann, a firm consultant at Zeughauser Group, said that high desire to continue to work at home indicated in the Loeb Leadership study may shrink over time as people begin to feel more comfortable going out if the number of the coronavirus cases fall substantially or a vaccine is developed.
He said a lot of people don’t want to take risks if they can avoid it, especially those who are over age 65 or have health conditions, or are caring for someone who does.
“As a result, what we hear from most firms is that they for the foreseeable future don’t plan to force anybody to go to the office who doesn’t want to go to the office,” Zimmermann said.
While firms may take the position that lawyers or staff can continue to work at home if they are more comfortable, there is a risk when relationship partners expect lawyers or staff working for them to be in the office, he said.
“That gets complex,” Zimmermann said. “People who come back may have advantages versus the rest in terms of building relationships with key people that might help them get staffed on certain matters that will enhance their careers.”
Robert, the Loeb Leadership consultant, said client demands can also impact how a firm handles the issue of remote work. Clients may expect in-person meetings, he said.
But 92% of the survey respondents said they believe their firm has been meeting client needs during the pandemic. The survey includes responses from 147 lawyers and staff ranging from Am Law 100 firms to small shops.
As states begin to allow businesses including firms to reopen, governors are restricting the numbers of employees in offices to comply with social distancing and safety concerns. But, as those restrictions are lifted over time, managing partners will need to consider the legal implications of requiring employees to shift back to in-office work, and then find that someone gets infected with the coronavirus, Robert said.
Only 37% of the survey respondents said they would feel comfortable returning to the office if stay-at-home orders were lifted within the next 30 days.
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June 12, 2020 at 03:36AM
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