What does flexible working look like at Hill Dickinson?

With flexible working becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK, organisations must communicate to their staff any initiatives they have in place to support it. Flexible working has the potential to increase wellbeing and productivity among employees but only through the support of their employer.

As law may not traditionally be viewed as a flexible career, we have worked hard to implement measures and improve our workplace culture, making flexible working accessible to all employees – on both formal and informal terms.

What is flexible working?

A flexible working arrangement can be any working arrangement that differs from an existing one. Usually, this means a step away from the standard nine-to-five working hours. In terms of formal flexible working, arrangements an employee might request from their employer can include:

• a reduction in hours
• sharing the job with a colleague
• changing start and finish times
• working from home or elsewhere

We also encourage employees to work flexibly on an informal basis, adjusting to shifting needs and life circumstances. All our line managers are trained in flexible job design and management, ensuring that our people feel comfortable to suggest working arrangements that work for them.

If a parent needs to drop children at school, for example, they can make up the time elsewhere. Likewise, if a medical appointment is scheduled at short notice, requiring a subtle shift in working hours, this is accommodated through open and honest dialogue.

Essentially, in its various formats – whether agreed contractually or through daily team interactions – flexible working allows employees more freedom over how they approach their roles and responsibilities.

Flexible working in law firms

Historically, law firms were slow to accommodate flexible working. Early mornings and late nights chained to a desk often went hand in hand with a career in law. Offices full of busy people and a fast-paced, competitive culture looked impressive to clients and competitors. The consensus on flexible working options in law was widespread: it does not work.

Recently, however, this culture began to change. More law firms than ever before now offer flexible working options, such as remote working, hot-desking or hour changes. The change in culture stems not only from employee demand but from firms recognising the benefits flexible working can bring.

Flexible working at Hill Dickinson

We consider ourselves to be early trendsetters in the flexible working space, having committed to innovative working models for many years. We understand that life happens, and that sometimes people just cannot make it to their desk for a variety of reasons. Whether a dental appointment crops up or circumstances change, we have adequate resources and procedures in place to mitigate any risk, aiding business continuity while supporting our employees in their daily lives.

Ensuring that our employees maintain a healthy work-life balance is important to us as a firm. From induction, every employee is set up to work flexibly in some manner. All employees are assigned the same portable laptops on which to work in addition to an in-office docking station. With the use of docking stations and multiple screens, employees can work conventionally at desks within our offices while also having the option to work from home or while travelling. The firm recognises that certain work may be carried out more easily in a quiet location and without disruption. All employees are treated the same, whether choosing to work from home or from an office.

All roles are assessed for flexibility before recruitment begins. Our international footprint aids recruitment drives in this regard, allowing us to hire from a larger pool of candidates. For example, a recent position within the marketing team was open to applications from across the country, as successful candidates could work out of any of our UK offices – in Liverpool, London, Leeds and Manchester. In theory, applications were also welcomed from Hong Kong, Singapore, Greece and Monaco.

We do not adhere to traditional constraints of time and space regarding employee obligations. So long as work is delivered to a consistently high standard, flexible working is the norm across our business. We are always open to conversations about formal and informal flexible working arrangements – from the recruitment process, in interviews and throughout a person’s time with us.

Our flexible working practices

All our line managers are proactively trained and supported in the art of managing flexible working arrangements. Regular skills workshops and masterclasses are arranged by our HR team, with new techniques implemented in line with prevailing trends.

For instance, line managers are encouraged to meet with each individual team member on a weekly basis to discuss ongoing projects, performance and any other issues that may arise. Promotion of flexible working is an intrinsic ingredient to these catch-up sessions, and any requests for changes to arrangements are escalated accordingly. By implementing such practices from the top down, we aim to make flexible working ubiquitous within our workplace culture.

In addition to informal smart working practices, many employees have positive experiences utilising smart working options on a formal basis, too. These options include:

• compressed hours
• staggered hours
• irregular start and finish times
• part-time working
• home working

Our use of Microsoft Teams as a key communication tool, with best practice on scheduling appointments and marking availability reiterated to staff through training, is a vital component of our flexible working policy. Using Teams allows our employees to communicate effectively with each other from any location, setting an immediate precedent regarding flexible working.

Given this large investment in technology and infrastructure, we are now in a position where all roles within our firm are considered agile. We do not adhere to the traditional, often myopic concept of being anchored to a desk between 09:00 and 17:00 each day. Rather, we take a much more inclusive approach that treats employees as humans first, accounting for the inevitable travails of daily life. This represents a major triumph for the business – one that distinguishes us among the most compassionate employers in our industry.

We take pride in our ethos of flexible working. In turn, a mutual trust and pride exists between employees and the firm, with almost all staff members taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to them. We introduced these initiatives because employee wellbeing and culture is central to our people strategy and we aim to support colleagues in ensuring they look after their mental and physical health.

Currently, all our employees are working from home. Looking ahead, we intend to implement a hybrid working model, with our expectations being for staff to attend the office 40% of their working week so that colleagues can continue to learn from each other, share ideas and feel a sense of belonging that they might not get at home. This does not mean the end of flexible working, however. Our flexible working policies are here to stay and should work in harmony with any hybrid working arrangements.

Read more about how our flexible working practices can benefit those returning to the law.