Flexible working in action: JFH Law

The local law firm JFH Law have shared their insights into how businesses can successfully use flexible working to attract and progress the best talent:

When we started the firm we didn’t give much thought to flexible working. As lawyers we had all been conditioned to work long hours, 5 days a week. The first time the prospect of flexible working was raised was when one of our team had a baby. She couldn’t afford to work part time, but wanted to be able to spend more time at home with her baby, so we introduced compressed working specifically for her.

As we grew, we realised that in order to attract and retain the best lawyers we needed to ensure that their work life complimented rather than dominated their personal life. To achieve this we reduced our working hours by 30 minutes a day, and introduced a flexible working policy; allowing a range of compressed, remote and part-time work options.

Whilst most of our team continue to work “standard” hours, by offering flexible working we have been able to support three of our lawyers in their return to work following maternity leave. We have also been able to allow staff members to undertake postgraduate training in conjunction with their employment.

By giving our lawyers the freedom to work flexibly we have cultivated a positive work environment, based on both trust and performance. Our clients are happy with these arrangements, as long as they are informed in advance of working hours, as they find their lawyers are more focused and generally happier in the work they do.