Walker Morris reinforces commitment to working smarter
7th June 2017
Agile working helps to improve working practices
As part of its vision to develop its working practices to support work-life balance, law firm Walker Morris is introducing agile working for its lawyers.
Agile working will allow the Firm’s lawyers to work across multiple locations, be that in the office, at home or even a client’s office. It is the latest in a series of measures aimed at improving the well-being, morale and efficiency of staff.
Ian Gilbert, Managing Partner commented:
“In line with our vision to encourage and focus on measuring output rather than visibility we have adopted agile working for our lawyers to empower them to manage their work more effectively and work smarter.
“By introducing agile working we are allowing our lawyers to help balance their work and personal lives and providing them with the freedom to work in the best location and make best use of their time and resources. That might result for example in a reduction in travelling time or allow them more family time. Ultimately, we believe happier staff helps us to attract and retain the best talent, whilst at the same time making us more resilient and flexible as an organisation.”
Head of HR, Tracy Foley added:
“The introduction of this policy is not about forcing staff to work from home to reduce costs or taking away desks. We recognise that there are benefits to being in an office. Many staff enjoy and benefit from the daily face-to-face interaction with their teams and colleagues. It’s about offering a choice, exhibiting trust and allowing our lawyers to manage their workloads more effectively. There is a clear trend towards a more flexible way of working in the UK as the hurdles are overcome by fresh innovations in technology and people management.
“It’s also a response to the changing demographic of the UK workforce as a whole, which probably for the first time encompasses four generations in the same workplace. Different generations have different expectations of where and how to work. By offering increased flexibility we are responding to the needs of each generation.”
Walker Morris’ introduction of agile working is the latest in a number of initiatives that the Firm has introduced to improve employee well-being. Several years ago the Firm introduced flexible working and, in addition, last year the Firm launched a comprehensive ‘Space Planning Research Project’. The Project, which being undertaken by So Vibrant, aims to review all the Firm’s working practices and space requirements in a new office design.
