Communication is key in any workplace, and necessary as a business leader or manager to keep staff members on the same page as you, synchronize teams, and strengthen performance.

Unfortunately, effective communication isn’t always easy to achieve. 86% of employees and executives cite poor communication as one of the core causes of workplace failures. One of the primary challenges managers face is figuring out how to handle complex conversations with their staff members. In every workplace, issues can arise which require a difficult discussion.

You may need to address a dip in performance with an otherwise stellar employee, or discuss emotional issues like burnout and lack of engagement.

While conversations such as these can be challenging for every party involved, they’re fundamental to ensuring your employees can continue to deliver and thrive in their roles.

So, how do you handle complex conversations correctly?

Step 1: Gather the Right Information

Preparation is essential to any valuable conversation. The more information you have to go into the meeting or discussion with, the more likely it is you’ll be able to achieve a mutual understanding.

For instance, if you need to speak to your employee about problems with their performance, telling them they seem “distracted” at work might not drive the right results. Most staff members will act defensively when presented with negative feedback, and may attempt to argue that their perceptions are incorrect.

However, if you enter the meeting with evidence of your employee missing deadlines, receiving negative feedback from clients, or failing to achieve objectives they have been set related to their job specifications, they will be much more likely to listen.

Having more specific information on hand will also facilitate a deeper discussion about what’s actually going wrong. For instance, your employee may be delivering the same quality of work, but missing deadlines, which could indicate an impending risk of burnout.

Step 2: Set the Stage for a Valuable Discussion

The right setting and plan can make a huge difference to the outcomes of a complex conversation. For instance, when discussing difficult topics, most employees will want a private setting, which allows them to keep the situation confidential. Nobody wants to be called out in front of their colleagues and peers.

Choosing a room or environment which feels comfortable and open can be helpful. An employee shouldn’t feel like they’re being interrogated, or this can lead to a very one-sided conversation, where your team member immediately begins acting defensively.

Schedule a meeting with your legal employee at a time suitable for both of you, and allow time to have a detailed conversation. It may also be worth letting your staff member know exactly what you’re going to be talking about in advance, so they can come prepared.

For example, instead of saying “We need to discuss what happened in the last meeting”, you can say, “I feel like you weren’t as engaged as usual in the previous meeting, let’s set up a discussion, so we can arrange how to address that going forward.”

Step 3: Put Facts Before Feelings

A complex conversation can easily become emotional. However, allowing emotions to run rampant can lead to arguments between staff, rather than valuable conversations. With this in mind, it’s important for you to show your leadership skills, and take an objective, logical approach.

Using the facts you’ve gathered during the initial preparation stage, start thinking about how you can structure your conversation to put logic first. Introduce all the key issues you want to address at the beginning of the conversation, with evidence and proof for validation.

Don’t tell your employee how disappointed you are, and avoid using “I feel” statements. Instead, remain as calm and objective as possible. Instead of saying, “I feel you just didn’t do your best here”. Say, “Based on (facts), you can see this project doesn’t reflect your best work. What happened?”

Step 4: Stay Positive

Although it’s valuable to maintain an objective and logical viewpoint when approaching a complex discussion with a member of your team, it’s also helpful to maintain a positive outlook. The aim isn’t to berate or upset your employee, but to start working together on a solution for the problem you’ve discovered.

Your staff members will be far more inclined to work with you on resolving the issue if they feel as though you’re approaching it with a positive mindset. Rather than just accusing your employee of not working as hard as usual, or being lazy, ask them why they think the issue has happened.

Use this feedback to offer advice on how they can make positive changes. For instance, if an employee feels overwhelmed by too much work, you could suggest different scheduling strategies, or ask them whether they’ve considered delegating some of their tasks.

Step 5: Listen to Your Employee

A conversation is a two-way experience. Unfortunately, it’s easy for a manager to fall into the trap of simply speaking “at” their employee, rather than speaking with them. Even if you have a lot of proof to back up the complaint you’re making, it’s important to remember you may not have the whole story. The only way to effectively resolve a problem is to ask relevant questions and listen to the answer.

Rather than trying to “win” the conversation and prove your employee has done something wrong in a negative conversation, for instance, aim for mutual understanding. By the end of the discussion, your employee should understand they’re not adhering to your expectations, and you should have a better knowledge of why their performance is slipping.

After you’ve presented the facts, give your employee a chance to share their perspective.

This will pave the way for a better conversation, where you can start discussing potential solutions as a team. This strategy will not only improve your chances of resolving the issue, but also lead to a better relationship between you and each individual on your team.

Step 6: Follow Up

Finally, just because a complex conversation comes to an end, doesn’t mean your work is completely done. The purpose of any difficult conversation with a team member should always be to inspire positive action, changed behaviour, and results.

Whether you’re discussing burnout, emotional issues, or performance problems, you should always end the discussion with a plan of what to do next. Come up with a strategy using the input of your legal staff members, and then follow up to see whether the resolution is working.

Checking in, or arranging an additional meeting in the future, will ensure you don’t lose track of the issue and allow it to snowball. It also means you can work together to come up with alternative solutions if your initial strategy doesn’t work out.

Difficult Conversations are Common

In any law firm, there’s a good chance, managers will have to deal with difficult conversations at some point. Performance issues can arise anywhere, and burnout can cause significant problems for employees. Being able to discuss complex, emotional, and even negative topics effectively are crucial if you want to get the most out of your team.

Of course, it always helps to hire the right people to begin with, focusing on candidates who share your open communication style. Working with a specialist legal recruitment agency could make conversations with your legal staff a lot easier, and we’d love to give a helping hand in ensuring your legal team gets the right fit from the get-go. If you find yourself in a position where you could really benefit from such services, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

In Conclusion

Handling difficult and uncomfortable conversations is always a challenging task, even for the most experienced managers and business leaders, but when overcome, they become an opportunity for you to boost employee engagement and performance throughout your team, ultimately benefitting both your team members and the business. Additionally, the above points can serve as possible signs to look out for that could indicate discontentment amongst your legal employees and a resulting desire to look for a new career move elsewhere, giving you the opportunity to take action ahead of time.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals, and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help – whether that’s on a contingency or retained basis.

Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

In a skills-short market, businesses across all sectors are looking more closely at their strategies for attracting and retaining their talent. And whilst a focus on employer branding has been a part of business DNA for a number of years (prevalent in the early 1990s and usually straddling both the marketing and HR functions), the last decade has seen a new phrase coined that takes the concept a step further.

The Employer Value Proposition (EVP) has become somewhat of a buzzword more recently – especially as businesses operate in an increasingly competitive and borderless world that is economically volatile.

Pioneer of employer branding research, Brett Minchington defined an EVP in 2005 as “a set of associations and offerings provided by  an organisation in return for the skills, capabilities, and experiences an employee brings to the organisation.”

In simple terms, it is the way that businesses differentiate themselves in their particular market allowing them to not only attract and recruit ‘right fit’ new employees but also impact the engagement and retention of existing staff members.

Why Your EVP Could Be Your MVP

While there seems to be more jargon and acronyms than ever – what is clear is that it is more important than ever for law firms to communicate the compelling reasons why future hires should choose to work with/ for them.

In the past, many businesses assumed the key to a successful EVP was simply offering their team the best salary and benefits. However, teams today are looking for more than just financial value in their careers.

As attitudes to the workplace have changed, so have priorities as legal professionals now have more opportunities than ever to consider where, how, and when they work.

Vacancies offering fully remote or hybrid contracts means that staff are no longer restricted by geography when assessing new opportunities in the market, and with the net cast wider – so too are the opportunities (and indeed, competition).

Fundamentally you need to communicate all the specific and unique benefits an employee can expect to receive when they join your business. These should seek, where possible, to differentiate yourself from competitors operating in the same region and/or practice area; describing (and making tangible) what the business stands for – vision, culture, and working environment.

According to Gartner, a leader in people management, an EVP can massively strengthen your position in the hiring landscape and improves your chances of retaining talent, decreasing annual employee turnover by just under 70%, whilst increasing ‘new hire commitment’ by nearly 30%.

The War For Talent Is Over. Talent Won.

The quote above by PwC’s US Chairman, Tim Ryan in October last year continues to do the rounds as the UK’s drought of talent is still felt across many industries and professional sectors. As highlighted in a recent article on Maddyness, UK unemployment rates remain at a historic low of 3.75%, and with vacancies still at heady heights (compared to pre-pandemic levels), there remains a disconnect between demand and supply.

Furthermore, those businesses that were proactive in securing talent by offering inflated salaries may no longer have this option against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, and squeezed budgets.

And whilst this may on the surface start to level the playing field between small and medium-sized firms who couldn’t compete on price, the challenge around standing out on the things that matter very much remains.

Creating a stand-out working culture and work environment, and offering staff a holistic package of perks and rewards is only the first step, however. Finding innovative, bold, and creative ways to communicate this externally (and through internal channels) is key – and should go beyond one-dimensional lists on websites and job descriptions.

Attracting The New Generation Of Legal Employees

It is a well-publicised fact that Generation Z, the youngest generation to approach the working world, will soon surpass Millennials as the most populous generation on earth. By 2030, this group will make up 30% of the workforce, bringing new demands, expectations, and priorities for employers to consider.

Often raised by innovative millennials, Gen Z is the most diverse and educated age group in the professional world today. Born into a connected, digital, and empathetic world they spend approximately half of their waking hours interacting with technology. Shaped by an era of social feeds and internet culture, the slew of powerful social justice movements they’ve witnessed in recent years have given them a unique sensibility and a strong stance regarding ethical business practices and equity.

Generation Z undoubtedly has several valuable characteristics to bring to the legal landscape, yet their approach to the workplace may cause certain challenges for business leaders as they aren’t motivated or moved by the same things as their millennial parents (we looked at some of these recently in our detailed guide on Motivating Gen Z Employees).

What has been already noted, however, is that this demographic cohort (known colloquially as ‘zoomers’) is emerging as the ‘sustainability generation’ – impacted massively by global events like the Pandemic which, according to Forbes, didn’t start the sustainability revolution necessarily, but certainly put it into overdrive (with Gen Z in the driver’s seat).

Attracting and retaining this generation will therefore need to focus on green and eco-credentials, and general CSR initiatives as part of a wider employment proposal that is demonstrably ethical, moral, and has a societal purpose. 

CSR & ESG – as easy as ABC?

Employer value propositions are evolving, due to shifting business priorities, working patterns, and employee values as well as external factors like the economy and political landscape. A focus on well-being and wellness initiatives, work-life balance, diversity, and inclusion are continuing themes setting value propositions apart across the legal landscape, alongside programmes and statements centred around Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

But with a new acronym on the block for Law Firms to get their heads around – ESG… it’s no wonder there is some confusion around where businesses should place their focus amidst this ‘alphabet soup’ of initiatives.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business approach designed around making a social impact and focus beyond profits. It is designed (or should be) to benefit society and the local community as well as the environment for the collective good – and in turn will also, by proxy, enhance the firm’s image, generate more business, and earn customer and employee loyalty.

It is generally split into 4 areas:

1. Environmental
2. Ethical
3. Philanthropic
4. Economic

All are aimed at providing benefits to both the general public as well as company shareholders and employees.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) isn’t quite the same – although according to a Harvard Law School study in 2021, both terms do appear interchangeable. Rather, this programme is more data driven, and increasingly  an act of corporate compliance; defined as ‘a set of standards measuring a business’s impact on society, the environment, and how transparent and accountable it is.’

In brief, the three areas or factors look at:

• Environmental – a firm’s impact on the environment, such as carbon emissions, waste management, and resource usage.
• Social – a firm’s impact on society, including issues such as labour practices, human rights, and engagement with the local community.
• Governance – a firm’s management and oversight, such as board and management structure, executive compensation and remuneration, and shareholder rights.

ESG has become increasingly important for investors and businesses as stakeholders demand greater accountability and transparency on sustainability and ethical issues. The key difference therefore compared to CSR, is that it is viewed as the outcome (measured and reported on) of a firm’s sustainability, whilst CSR focuses on a firm’s voluntary actions to improve its impact.

An even simpler comparison by Akepa:

• CSR: a general sustainability framework, mainly used by companies
• ESG: a measurable sustainability assessment, popular with investors

In Conclusion

As a Partner, Senior, or Hiring professional within a law firm, getting your head around the many acronyms and initiatives is the first hurdle in understanding the evolving values that current (and prospective) employees have when it comes to their employer.

Understanding what these shifting ideologies are is critical when it comes to retaining, engaging, and attracting talent  – although it is equally as important not to pay lip service or view things like your EVP as a box-ticking exercise.

What is clear, is that embracing CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) has become a necessity for law firms around the globe, not least because it remains high on the agenda of both Millennials and Gen Z employees who are ever critical of their employer’s ethical stance, reputation in the market, and values that they hope will mirror their own.

In a LinkedIn News article from earlier this year, it was reported that these demographic cohorts actively consider “conscious quitting” if the company doesn’t align with their values. It also highlighted research from KMPG which stated that 46% of employees want their employer to ‘demonstrate a commitment to environmental, social and governance’, with 1 in 5 turning down the offer of a new role if they felt a disconnect.

Clayton Legal’s Commitment

Of course, CSR, ESG, EVP, and any other business-related acronym are not just relevant to the legal sector.

As a prominent Northwest employer that has been in business for nearly 25 years, we also recognise the importance of our own value proposition when it comes to our people and our community.

Our commitment to CSR can be seen here, where we detail our approach, programme, and statement of intent as we strive to become a socially responsible business, both internally and externally – making a positive impact on our people and workplace, our clients and suppliers, our local community, and our local and global environment.

The purpose of our programme is to sustain a business that is successful and respected in its ethical standing by our stakeholders. These include candidates, clients, investors, regulators, suppliers, and the wider community.

We are particularly passionate about supporting causes that have roots and impact here in the UK, and in the Northwest. One initiative that we have recently joined and committed to is Ecologi, a certified B-Corp social enterprise, and platform for Climate Action; helping individuals, families, and businesses become Climate Positive.

This market leader is certainly gaining traction and publicity, and we are delighted to join the other 40,000 members in taking simple, but impactful climate action. This year we have committed to fund the planting of trees in the UK for every placement we make and are also involved in the Beta trial to calculate our carbon footprint, and put plans in place to reduce our emissions.

You can see the impact of Ecologi’s work and their UK reforestation projects here.

In addition, Managing Director, Lynn Sedgwick and Performance and Development Director, Louise Kearns joined the Good Growth Programme in February this year, ran by Lancaster University and supported by Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.

The 5-month Programme was underpinned by world-leading research produced by Lancaster University Management School and focused on business strategies that are centred around the environment, community, and social justice. It was a great chance to connect and collaborate with other SME leaders and contribute to solving local and global challenges.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals, and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help – whether that’s on a contingency or retained basis. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

Even after a tumultuous couple of years during and following the Covid-19 pandemic, 2023 also brings with it certain challenges for law firms.

Economic pressures, talent retention, and for many, adapting to the permanency of hybrid working are all factors that make business-as-usual still pretty unpredictable.

And, as well as a necessary focus on retention and recruitment of employees, law firms will no doubt be conscious of their business strategy, growth plans, and the retention of their client base.

It goes without saying that earning a client’s trust is paramount to the success of your law firm.

Additionally, you work hard for your clients and to maintain and build your legal professionalism. Retaining clients and your place in the legal marketplace requires strategies to help build relationships and keep those clients coming back to you as their firm of choice.

Client retention means you can avoid spending a lot of valuable time in marketing your law firm to earn new business. Also, happy clients who return to your firm may even provide a lead to additional work if they recommend you to others in their network. This can be a huge boost, especially if they have wide-reaching connections.

So, how can you help retain those valuable clients and increase your repeat business, thus placing yourself well ahead of the pack with a continued focus on growth? Here are our five top tips that could accelerate retention levels and see your firm’s reputation rise.

1. Communicate

How often do you hear clients complaining that their solicitor doesn’t return their calls, or that they don’t know where things are up to in their case?

Your clients want to feel valued, and it’s easy to make them believe their business is important to you. Start by returning their phone calls or emails. You can delegate some of this work if necessary, but if correspondence requires your personal attention – make the time to address it. This could be as simple as setting aside a specific time each day and blocking off your diary to give you space without interruption to answer clients’ questions.

2. Be Honest

Things don’t always go to plan. It’s critical for your legal team to be able to handle bad news, as well as good, and deal with unexpected results.

Therefore, it’s vital to be clear with your client that you can’t guarantee results. Managing potential outcomes can be tricky, but preparing your client from the start will make results easier to handle.

Remember that your clients have come to you at a time that they need assistance – it could be any one of several challenging issues in their personal or professional lives, and they will want to hear positive news from you.

But honesty is essential. Don’t be tempted to give false hope and be clear that there may be problems or even a negative outcome if you believe this to be the case.

It’s also essential, to be honest about your performance as a provider of legal services. For example, if you are late with documents, admit it. If a client discovers you were untruthful about a small issue like late documents, they will doubt you over more significant issues. Aim to protect your firm’s integrity in all circumstances.

3. Bill Clients Accurately

Overbilling or charging in a way that was not clearly demonstrated initially to the client will not help establish your firm’s professionalism.

Therefore, invoices should always correctly reflect the work done. Time tracking and billing software can help your firm create accurate bills, avoiding unhappy clients who believe they have been overcharged, and resulting in faster payments and higher levels of customer confidence in your firm.

Additionally, you may wish to offer various billing options such as fixed fee, hourly billing or flat fees for services – clients have different preferences, and to keep ahead of the pack it’s a good idea to consider offering different options. Being agile in this way could be the difference between keeping and losing a client.

4. Remain Professional

Of course, the most critical aspect of retaining clients and gaining market position is to complete the legal work you have taken on; providing services that are effective and offer value to your clients.

Meeting deadlines, employing skilled solicitors, and handling cases efficiently will ensure clients recognise your professionalism and return to use your services again – as well as recommend you to others.

Equally pivotal to ensuring your law firm remains relevant is to keep all your employee’s certifications up to date, and make sure you stay informed about legal changes and court decisions.

5. Consider Diversifying

It may seem a bold move, but diversification can give you an advantage over competitors and place you ahead of the curve. Addressing the ‘where’ and ‘how’ to scale your law firm should be considered carefully and will be dependent on your current position – both geographically and in terms of client base and marketplace.

Dramatic strategy changes may seem radical, and remaining credible is paramount, so you may wish to consider small steps if looking to increase your service offer. If you choose to consider this route, a good place to start is by re-examining your strategic plan to highlight areas you could develop as well as ensure you are on the right track for success.

Following these top tips will help you create better client retention, enhance your reputation and keep you one step ahead of the competition in a crowded legal marketplace.

Next Steps

If you’re reading this article because you are looking to develop your legal team, we’d love to be part of that conversation.

Don’t hesitate to call one of our regional or practice area specialists on 01772 259 121.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals, and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

If you would like to know more about recruiting trends in the legal sector this year, download our latest Salary Survey & Market Insights Report Here.

The average time it takes to hire a legal candidate is increasing.

According to a recent post from LinkedIn, it can take more than forty days for a hiring manager to find and make an offer to the right employee. While part of this problem may be attributed to skill shortages in the legal sector, there’s a larger underlying issue.

Law firms are taking too long to make decisions.

While it’s important to be cautious when choosing the right employee to bring onto your team, a slow hiring process can have a number of negative repercussions. As competition for legal talent in the legal industry grows, taking too long to select a candidate could/will mean you miss out.

At the same time, there’s a risk you could end up impacting your employer brand, prompting future candidates to avoid applying for your roles.

Remember candidates talk to each other and especially online.

So let’s talk about why hiring faster is a good idea.

Hiring Fast vs Hiring Slow: Why Speed Wins

The best legal candidates are always highly coveted and receive multiple offers from a variety of different employers. If you’re not fast to act, the chances of losing your ideal employee are higher than ever.

As a legal recruiter, we can only do so much to persuade candidates to wait.

Recruiting faster doesn’t mean abandoning your standards when choosing the correct candidate. Instead, it means reworking your process so you can make intelligent decisions quickly.

Here are some of the reasons why law firms need to increase the speed of their hiring strategy if they want to remain competitive.

1. Increases Your Chances of Securing the Right Legal Talent

The hiring marketplace has changed drastically in the last three years. Today’s legal employees don’t have time to wait around for an employer to offer them a role. More importantly, they usually don’t have to. Even if you don’t offer a role to a candidate straight away, there’s a good chance another firm will.

Making slow decisions about who to bring onto your team doesn’t necessarily improve your chances of getting a high-quality candidate. While you’re busy consulting with your recruitment team about whom to hire, your ideal candidate is already looking for alternative roles.

The longer you take to decide, the more chance you have of someone else swooping in and recruiting your top choice. This could mean you need to settle for a less-than-ideal alternative, just so you can fill the gap in your legal team.

2. Better Existing Employee Experiences

A slow hiring process isn’t just a problem for future employees, it can cause issues with your current workforce too. When positions go unfilled for too long in a firm, many leaders need to distribute the tasks associated with those roles to other team members, to fill the gaps.

This means staff ends up focusing more of their time on projects and initiatives not included within their general job description. This can increase your risk of burnout and overwhelm, and even encourage employees to start searching for new roles too.

Placing more strain on your existing team also means they’re more likely to be prone to making mistakes in their day-to-day work. Overwhelmed staff need to rush through tasks, rather than giving each job their direct focus.

3. Enhanced Candidate Experiences

Legal professionals are no longer just searching for great salary options and benefits when it comes to their job search. Amongst other things (and there is quite a list these days) they’re also looking for evidence their employer will treat them with empathy and respect. This means the candidate experience has become more important than ever to firms in search of new legal talent. Fail to deliver a good experience, and you’ll miss out on future opportunities.

A speedy hiring process delivers a better all-around experience for your candidates, showing them, you respect their needs.

The faster you provide your candidates with an offer, the more likely they are to feel committed to your brand and their role within your firm. The longer your hiring process takes, the more your new team members are likely to lose their enthusiasm about their new role.

Ethical recruitment (something we’ve looked at recently) means in simple terms, doing the right thing – always. This should be the very foundation and principles on which your hiring activity is built.

4. Improved Employer Brand and EVP

Ensuring you can attract and retain the best quality legal talent in the current market requires significant effort. You need to ensure you’re promoting an employer brand that convinces legal candidates you have the right opportunities to offer.

Your employer brand is influenced by everything you do when interacting with both your existing employees and future staff. This means if your candidate experience is poor, due to a long recruitment time and lack of communication, you could risk scaring off new employees. In fact, around 43% of job-seekers say they might even write a negative review about an employer when the hiring process takes too long.

Committing to quickly providing your candidates with insights into the success of their interview, and making decisions fast about who to hire will ensure you stand out in the legal sector.

Speed Up Your Hiring Process

The best candidates in the current legal landscape won’t wait around for a long hiring process. And it goes without saying that the more in demand they are, the more options will be open to them when it comes to choosing where to make that next move.

If you can’t act quickly to secure the best for your firm, simply put – you’ll miss out.

Recruiting faster doesn’t have to mean lowering your standards, but it could mean looking for ways to optimise your hiring process.

And, whilst time may be of the essence, it’s equally as important not to make any rash decisions or rush into a decision that could ultimately come back to bite you. After all, there is a significant commercial cost of a bad hire too.

Working with a legal recruitment agency can help to focus your activity – helping to source, and shortlist candidates faster, so you can get the right talent quickly  – whilst also ensuring that no balls get dropped along the way in ensuring that the candidates that are presented to you are still the right ‘fit’ for your firm.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviablese reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals, and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help.

Call us on 01772 259 121 or get in touch with us here

It’s no secret that modern-day life has us spending a large chunk of our waking hours seated at a desk. In fact, a staggering 90,000 hours of our lifetime is spent at work – using a computer or working with other office equipment. But, did you know that our work environment can greatly impact our physical and mental well-being?

With most office jobs requiring prolonged periods of computer and equipment use, it’s no wonder that work-related injuries, especially repetitive strain injuries, are a leading cause of medical leave. That is why the need for an ergonomically correct office is important. Ergonomics is a modern word coined from two Greek words – Ergon, meaning work, and nomoi, meaning natural laws. The goal of office ergonomics is to design your office workstation in such a way that it fits you and allows for a comfortable working environment for maximum productivity and efficiency. In fact, according to the Thesaurus dictionary, office ergonomics is synonymous with workplace efficiency and user-friendly systems. A workspace designed with ergonomics in mind can significantly reduce the risk of physical pain and discomfort, such as back strains and repetitive strain injuries. Not to mention, it can also alleviate common issues like eye strain and headaches caused by improper lighting and screen placement.

But, it’s not just about physical comfort. An ergonomic work environment can greatly improve an employee’s mental well-being. By reducing stress and promoting concentration, employees can flourish in a workspace that supports their work. This leads to greater job satisfaction, a reduction in anxiety, and a more positive state of mind. When employees feel their physical needs are met, they are more likely to feel valued by their employer, leading to a stronger emotional connection to the firm and a greater sense of commitment.

Employers can also demonstrate their commitment to their employee’s health and well-being by providing ergonomic equipment and promoting healthy work practices. Some employers even go ahead to conduct their own DSE Risk Assessments. A DSE Risk Assessment includes a checklist of all aspects of the office station. This can create a positive and supportive workplace culture, resulting in a more motivated and engaged workforce, and reduced turnover, and absenteeism.

So, how do you create a more ergonomic work environment in your firm?

You may want to start by doing the following:

Proper chair selection: Ensure that chairs have adjustable features such as height, tilt, and armrests to allow employees to find a comfortable position. An ergonomic chair provides support for your lower back, hips, and legs. It should be adjustable to fit your body and provide proper posture when sitting.

Desk height: There is also the option of a treadmill/walking desk as a 2023 article from Irish Examiner has stated that sitting for eight or more hours per day can be linked to a 20% higher risk of getting heart disease or dying from any cause, compared to those who sat for half that time.

Keyboard and mouse: Ensure that keyboards and mouse are positioned at a comfortable distance and height, and that wrist pads are provided to reduce pressure on the wrist. Your keyboard and mouse should be positioned directly in front of you and close to your body, to minimize awkward reaching and twisting. Additionally, a wrist rest can help reduce the strain on your wrists and forearms.

Monitor placement: Make sure that monitors are placed at eye level to reduce neck strain and are positioned at a comfortable distance from the user. Your monitor should be positioned directly in front of you, at a comfortable distance and height. The top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level, and the screen should be large enough to allow you to read the text without straining your eyes.

Lighting: Adequate lighting is important for reducing eye strain and creating a comfortable work environment. Place your desk near a window or invest in a task light if needed.

Exercise and screen breaks:

If you have employees or you yourself work from home – even on a hybrid basis, you can also benefit from an ergonomically compliant space and there are a wealth of resources online that provide further tips and guidelines for the home office. This could mean creating a designated workspace, taking regular breaks, and establishing a fixed work schedule.

Ultimately, incorporating ergonomic principles in the workspace can bring immense benefits to both employees and your firm. By creating a workspace that prioritizes comfort and safety, employees are more likely to experience reduced stress levels, improved posture, and a decrease in workplace injuries.

As discussed in our recent blog, this investment in their well-being will speak volumes about the company’s commitment to their employees and contribute to a stronger employer value proposition (EVP), which encompasses all elements of the employment experience, including the physical work environment.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals, and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help.

Call us on 01772 259 121 or get in touch with us here .

If you are responsible for hiring within your law firm – either wholly, or as part of your role as a practicing lawyer, one of the choices you have as part of your hiring strategy is whether you go it alone, or enlist the services of a recruitment specialist.

This decision may be based on a number of variables including £budget, speed (the need to get the position filled quickly), and the potential scarcity in the market of the hire(s) in question.

External factors may also impact the decision. The current market, still impacted by headwinds from the pandemic, is undeniably tough as we enter a new year against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and a much-publicised skills shortage. Attracting (and then retaining) talent can be arduous at the best of times, but balancing squeezed budgets, keeping existing staff engaged, and still focusing on growth and expansion is certainly a big ask for law firms who also have the ‘day job’ to do.

Why Choose a Recruitment Partner?

Utilising a sector-specialist recruitment agency will undoubtedly give firms a head start with their hiring campaigns – not only providing general market insight and that helicopter view of the hiring landscape, but also the inside track on movement and access to talent pools of active and passive legal professionals.

Consultants at recruitment firms are just that… able to provide consultative, practical advice on things like the fillability of roles, salary benchmarking, and insight into requirements and drivers of job seekers in the current climate.

They are also best placed to really ‘sell’ your firm and elevate your roles through strategic marketing, advertising, and tapping into the passive talent within their own networks.

In short, it makes absolute commercial sense to bring in the experts when the hiring landscape remains complex, and the candidate, at least for now, is King.

Then again, we would say that…

And once you have decided to partner with a recruitment specialist, the selection process and identifying the right one also needs some careful consideration.

Can’t See the Wood For the Trees?

Choosing the right legal recruitment partner can be a daunting task, especially when there are so many options available. The key to selecting the right partner is to carefully evaluate all of the factors that they bring to the table. A legal recruitment expert has the potential to save firms time, money, and headaches in the search for legal talent. However, the success of your new strategy will depend on your ability to choose the most suitable company for your firm.

You may look at things such as their own longevity (and success) in the market, their brand presence and digital footprint, and whether they are a specialist (and knowledgeable) about your practice area(s) or region in which you operate.

You may also look at the specifics of the services on offer – although this may not always be apparent from a quick glance at the website.

But understanding the recruitment model and service(s) adopted and on offer by the firm is imperative in the decision-making process. Therefore your assessment and due diligence period should always take heed of the specific framework or model that agency subscribes to.

This Way, Or That?

Whilst there are sometimes grey areas and nuances, generally speaking, most recruitment firms will offer either one or two services to their client base.

And, whilst on the face of it, the differences are largely focused on the payment structure and agreement between recruiter and client, the underlying recruitment approach is usually very different.

Contingency

Contingency recruitment in simple terms works on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, whereby the client only pays a fee for the successful placement of a candidate – usually when that individual starts in their new role.

This tends to be the prevailing model of recruitment in most industries and is often used for entry-level or mid-level positions where the recruiter is likely to have a larger pool of candidates to choose from, and where there is general availability of the required skills in the marketplace.

A standard service offered by recruitment agencies, it gives firms access to the agency’s own extensive network of pre-screened candidates; saving time and allowing a shortlist to be drawn up together, quickly, in line with your instructions.

Retained

Retained recruitment refers to the type of recruitment in which the agency is paid a partial fee from the client before the process begins, with the remainder paid upon the successful placement of a candidate into that role.

Typically suitable for executive-level hires, or where there is a scarcity of candidates on the active market, this model often means the agency will enter an exclusive partnership with the client who will help to map the market and help to set goals and milestones on how the search will be conducted.

Retained – More Than Just The Upfront Fee?

Whilst on the face of it, retained recruitment services seem more expensive as there is an upfront fee to pay, regardless of the outcome – there is often much more to this methodology than just the payment structure and T&Cs.

This model is often more rigorous in nature and may include additional features such as:

• Bespoke market mapping
• Salary benchmarking intel
• Psychometric testing
• Video interviews and candidate profiling
• Dedicated Account Manager or team of specialist consultants<
• Regular face-to-face updates and reporting/analysis
• Strategic headhunting
• Integrated marketing campaigns including advertising

This is more often than not, a fully-tailored recruitment solution where the agency and consultants will work closely with the hiring team – covering all areas of the active and passive market in a wider, more detailed search.

Is Retained Right For Me?

There are pros and cons of going down the contingency or retained route – and ultimately, it will once again come down to:

• Scarcity of candidates in the market for the role in question
• The need to recruit quickly (and impact on the bottom line of that role not being filled)
• The need to access resources you don’t have yourself
• Budget
• Complexity of the hiring project (volume, seniority, location, relocation, etc)

Retained recruitment can offer certain benefits over contingency including:

• Access to a wider pool of talent – tapping into passive networks who may not be actively looking for a role (and therefore arguably not being targeted by other law firms also hiring in the same practice area or region)
• Time-saving – the agency takes care of the entire recruitment process, including sourcing, screening, interviewing, and providing detailed shortlists for the client. For time-short individuals in the legal sector – this is often a driving force to outsource in the first place.
• Cost effective – whilst retained recruitment may involve an upfront fee, it is often seen as more cost-effective in the long run because the agency in question has the expertise and resources to identify the best candidates that are the right ‘fit’ first time for the client. This reduces the risk of a bad hire(and the financial implications that come with that).
• Increased retention rates – identification, and then a successful placement, of a ‘right fit’ candidate that aligns with the law firm’s culture and values on a deeper level than qualifications and experience, ultimately impacts retention rates and reduced turnover.
• Professional expertise – a good recruitment specialist, especially those with longevity (and a good reputation) in the market can provide guidance on a consultative basis on recruitment strategies, market trends, and best practice – helping the firm make informed decisions, and moving the whole process on from a simple transactional service

In Conclusion

Retained recruitment and contingency recruitment are two different approaches to hiring – but both may be considered as viable solutions based on your hiring strategy, budget, timescales, and the type of role(s) in question.

Whichever route you choose (which may be a hybrid of the two if the agency offers both services), working with a recruitment specialist that shares your values can help to elevate your business, brand, and roles.

The recruitment process for many businesses can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and costly. Add in the tail end of a pandemic, economic uncertainty, and political instability, and the process soon becomes a minefield.

Yet the objectives remain the same for those responsible for hiring within their law firm – retain, engage, and motivate their existing people, and attract top talent in line with growth and business objectives.

Selecting a recruitment partner that addresses those goals and is mindful of things like ethical recruitment practices – abiding by the highest standards of professionalism, fairness, and transparency, is essential.

And as long as those boxes are ticked…arguably you’re already on the road to success, whichever route you then go on to choose.

Our Services

At Clayton Legal, we offer a number of different services to suit the various (and changing) requirements of our diverse client base.

The services we offer very much start with the specific requirements, hiring strategy, business objectives, and budget, and include a standard contingency service as well as a retained and RPO service offering.

We work at all times with our client’s objectives in mind – to deliver the people they need, swiftly, that are the right fit, first time.

Click here for more information on our range of services, and information on how to get in touch if you would like a more informed discussion about how we can help with your current recruitment project.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals, and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help – whether that’s on a contingency or retained basis.

Call us on 01772 259 121 or get in touch with us here .

The world of work is still undergoing seismic changes – in part due to the long-tail impact of the 2020/21 pandemic, as well as in response to more recent influences like the economic crisis in the UK and overseas. Legacy business practices have been put to the test, and whilst digital transformation has continued to accelerate at breakneck speed, some businesses are only now stopping to catch their breath and take stock.

One topic that continues to make headlines globally however is around ‘flexibility’ – still the most requested ‘benefit’ by job seekers who are rejecting a return to a hustle culture and supposed burnout.

The latest Work Trend Index Report by Microsoft, published late last year spotlights the topic, and claims that even though we are now many months into hybrid work, not everyone agrees on how it’s going. And whilst employees are (on the whole) embracing greater flexibility and the benefits that come with that, business leaders are having to find the balance between remaining competitive as an employer, with rising inflation, budgetary constraints, and a dispersed workforce.

Will we see a mass return to the office?

A recent survey by Slack stated that only 12% of people would actively choose to return to an office setting on a full-time basis. Yet, 50% of leaders are ‘demanding’ employees return to the fold – an approach that experts are saying could have serious ramifications for businesses that don’t offer some level of flexibility; instead impacting retention and creating flight risks that companies can ill-afford in the current market.

Nevertheless, global giants at Disney, Tesla, and Goldman Sachs have hit the headlines for vocally turning their back on remote or even hybrid working arrangements – instead insisting employees benefit from face-to-face contact with their peers, especially when it comes to collaboration and creativity.

This post-pandemic push to get people back into the office has also been adopted by other global businesses including Starbucks, Twitter, and KMPG. Yet, the supposed advantages of hybrid working arrangements continue to be analysed and pored over, with indications that this working arrangement can positively impact work-life balance, and productivity, mitigate burnout, and improve personal well-being.

For the time being it seems, there is an increasing mismatch between what employees want, and what employers are prepared to offer.

Is hybrid here to stay?

There is no doubt that the increase in remote, hybrid, and flexible working patterns has necessitated a shift in how companies operate. From having to invest in technology to support a separated workforce to contemplating (and analysing) the subsequent impact on things like collaboration, productivity, staff engagement, and culture. The road, whilst already well-trodden, is still relatively unknown as many still consider the permanency of such working arrangements.

Paul Lewis (CEO of job advertising company, Adzuna) states in a recent article in Forbes, that employers are becoming more polarised in their approach to flexible working. And whilst there is certainly one camp that has reversed any such arrangement at full throttle, others continue to see the benefit of offering flexibility (be that remote or hybrid) as a tactic to attract new (and much-needed) talent.

The hybrid dichotomy

There are evidently both challenges and opportunities of hybrid working that professional services continue to pore over as we enter a new year, not least against a backdrop of talent and skill shortages impacting general recruitment and retention of staff.

According to research by global analytic consultants, Gallup, benefits include more autonomy, less burnout, higher productivity, and a perceived improvement in work-life balance. Yet, the research also highlighted that employees noted hybrid arrangements led to decreased collaboration, access to resources, disruption to processes, and less connection to the business ‘culture’.

It is certainly an ongoing challenge for businesses to balance employee interests against general business performance – remembering as always, the needs of the end customer and if those continue to be met as the workplace continues to evolve.

The most recent Work Trend Index Report by Microsoft highlights research where over 20,000 people in 11 countries were interviewed and analysed alongside labour market trends. The key findings (presented last September), and subsequent recommendations to business leaders were:

‘End productivity paranoia’

• Whilst managers may be worried about the general productivity of employees, not in the office, 87% reported that they are more productive. This is then backed up with Microsoft 365 data and productivity signals including meeting invites, multi-tasking (sending emails in meetings), and tracked activity.
• Yet, as some businesses install tracking technology to measure productivity signals themselves, many employees are left feeling like they aren’t being trusted. This can, according to the report, then lead to digital overwhelm where employees feel the need to ‘prove’ they are working…possibly out of normal work hours.

‘Embrace the fact that people come in for other people’

• Research at this juncture indicates that the desire to return to the office environment, even on a hybrid basis, is down to people missing the social interaction and connection with their peers. Therefore ‘rebuilding social capital can be a powerful lever for bringing people back to the office’.
• Digital communication tools are as important as ever to allow employees to connect with each other and with the business leaders.

‘Re-recruit your employees’

• Despite the choppy waters of the economic and political landscape that arguably make job seekers more cautious, employers should still be mindful of staff retention…even if they aren’t actively recruiting or on a growth trajectory themselves.
• There should therefore be a focus on re-energising and re-engaging existing staff members who according to the research are still ‘turning to job-hopping, the creator economy, side hustles, and entrepreneurship to achieve their career goals’.
• This includes providing genuine growth and career progression opportunities, training, and development support

Let’s Talk About Flex

In our blog 12 months ago, we looked at definitions of the various flexible working models at the time – centred around what was coined ‘home, hybrid, or hub (office)’. And, whilst these are still as relevant today, the models themselves continue to evolve and adapt – both to the needs and desires of employers and employees and also in relation to external factors and the socio-economic landscape.

Other nuances include:

Flexi

• the employee has the freedom to pick exactly where and when they work….not limited necessarily to the home or the office

Office-First

• employee spends the majority of time in the office, and less remotely

Remote-First

• employee spends the majority of time working remotely, and less in the office

Fixed

• the employee has a set working pattern for days in the office and days at home/remotely

Compressed

• depending on the needs of the business this may include full-time hours worked across a shorter amount of days e.g nine longer days instead of ten – giving employees flexibility without losing capacity

Annualised Hours

• the employee has to work an agreed amount of time over the year, but (aside from core hours) has flexibility around when they work based on extra demand

Four-Day Forecast

As well as the ongoing rumblings around flexi-, hybrid-, agile-, and remote-working, there is also a renewed focus on the ‘4-day week’ – not least because of the pilot programme that launched in the UK last year, which has just published its initial results (based on data from US, Australian, and Irish businesses in the first phase of the trial).

The programme, the brainchild of the not-for-profit ‘4 Day Week Global’ founded by Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart, advocates investment in the transition to reducing working hours; a ‘business improvement strategy centred on working smarter rather than longer’, and investing in the wellbeing of a business’s employees. Notably, the trial is based on a so-called ‘100-80-100 model’ = ‘100% of the pay, 80% of the time, but critically in exchange for 100% of the productivity’.

The notion of a shorter week had already been gaining traction in recent years, and as the pandemic forced through many changes in the workplace, a more formal approach was taken in 2022 with the world’s first coordinated trial and large-scale independent research into the impacts of a 4 day week.

The results, published last November, hail the pilot a resounding success on nearly all fronts with participating businesses reporting increased revenue, reduced absenteeism and resignations as well as a general increase in staff engagement and satisfaction in their roles. None of the businesses who took part in the trial will return to a 5-day week.

With pilots now taking place across the globe including the UK, South Africa, and Canada, it certainly seems many businesses are at least open to the idea of a seismic shift to the working week as we know it – but only, of course, if the numbers stack up.

In Conclusion

The pandemic of 2020/21 certainly accelerated substantial changes to working patterns and behaviours – shaking up when, where, and how individuals operated. It seems that in this sense, we are still in somewhat of a state of flux as businesses contend with economic instability, rising costs, declining staff retention, and a skills shortage impacting recruitment.

Yet the cards, arguably, are still being held by employees who remain resolute that flexibility (in whatever form) is a leading factor in decisions around if they stay, or if they go (and indeed, where they go next).

It is certainly true that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for employers as they continue to navigate these choppy waters, yet the narrative (at the moment at least) certainly predicts that flexibility isn’t a fad…rather, it’s the future.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

Finding the ideal talent for your legal team is the first stage of building a successful business. Once you’ve attracted top-performing candidates to your workforce, you also need to ensure you’re taking steps to keep them around.

And with hiring activity still healthy across the legal landscape, employees have many opportunities to switch firms should they find themselves unsatisfied with their current employment. That means learning how to retain your top talent is more important than ever.

Legal professionals can choose to leave a firm for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, they feel they’re not getting enough satisfaction from their role, or they lose interest in the firm’s vision for the future.

Other times, employees may feel they don’t thrive in their current position due to issues with colleagues or managers.

While the cost of replacing a lost employee can be significant, it’s worth remembering that anywhere up to 75% of turnover can be avoided.

That is why it is critical to recognise the signs that your employee might be looking elsewhere.

In this post, we are going to share several signs to be aware of.

1. They’re Avoiding Long-Term Projects and Growth

When an employee decides they no longer want to work with a firm, they often begin to reduce their involvement in long-term projects and strategies for development or growth. They stop envisioning a “future” with the business, which means they generally spend more of their time on short-term tasks and simply “checking boxes” on their to-do list.

When an employee who previously volunteered for various challenging projects no longer raises their hand in meetings or delegates long-term work to other employees. In that case, this could signify they’re not planning on being around for long.

Pay close attention to whether your staff members still invest in their future with the company by agreeing to learning and development opportunities or discussing goals during one-on-one meetings. If your employees no longer see a future with you, change their perspective by offering them insights into progression opportunities, they might miss out on if they leave.

2. They Show Visible Signs of Stress

The World Health Organisation says “burnout” is a significant occupational phenomenon that has increased drastically in recent years. Burned-out and overwhelmed employees disengage from the workplace, show clear signs of exhaustion, and often look for alternative work opportunities. With this in mind, tracking your employee’s mental and physical health is important.

Pay attention to signs of exhaustion, like the heavy reliance on caffeine, yawning, or even a slower-than-usual pace in your team member’s workflow.

The attitude of your employee might begin to change too. They may appear to be overwhelmingly negative towards other colleagues or attempt to isolate themselves from their peers, taking part in meetings less than usual. In some cases, they could even become more argumentative or aggressive. If you notice signs of burnout, speak to your staff member about how you can help them manage their workload.

3. They’re Not as Creative or Intuitive as Usual

When employees decide to leave a business, they stop actively contributing to its growth. You may notice some of your top performers who used to share ideas for development in previous meetings are now quieter when you’re asking for suggestions or advice.

Rather than trying to solve problems with out-of-the-box ideas and collaboration, your team members may simply pass difficult tasks onto other employees. They could stop taking the initiative with their work and may focus on doing just the “bare minimum” to get by.

An employee who’s occasionally quiet during business meetings isn’t necessarily a cause for alarm. However, if your team member seems to have lost their passion for helping the firm grow, they may no longer feel inspired by your firm’s mission or values.

A good way to address this issue is to give your team members regular feedback and let them know how much you value their input. Employees are more likely to contribute when they feel recognised and rewarded for their hard work.

4. They Focus More on External Networking

Networking is important in building a thriving career as a legal professional. It’s not unusual for dedicated employees to visit industry events and connect with other experts on social media. However, there may be a problem if your team members focus more on external networking than on building internal relationships.

If you notice your team members are disconnecting from their internal peers, failing to attend meetings, or spending less time chatting with colleagues, check out their external networking efforts. If they’re heavily invested in adding new connections on LinkedIn and improving their personal brand, this could be a sign they’re looking for a way to branch into new opportunities.

There are a few ways managers and supervisors can tackle this issue. Preventing staff from building external connections isn’t an option, but you can encourage your team to bond with their colleagues through team-building exercises and more consistent internal communication.

5. Their Performance Begins to Suffer

For a legal employee to thrive in their role, they need to do a lot more than just show up and follow the instructions given by a manager. The best staff members are constantly pushing themselves to be their best. However, if your employee is disengaged and disinterested in their work, you may begin to notice performance issues.

You might be able to notice more errors in their work, which they never used to make before. Or perhaps your customers are providing negative feedback concerning a specific employee’s behaviour. Other colleagues may even complain that one team member is no longer pulling their weight around the office.

If your staff member is no longer reaching their targets or making the right amount of effort, the first step shouldn’t always be to engage in disciplinary action. Speak to your team member and discover what’s happening behind the scenes.

Don’t Lose Your Top Performers

In today’s changing legal landscape, issues like disengagement, burnout, and even “quiet quitting” are becoming increasingly common. Fortunately, if you can recognise these signs ahead of time, there are still things you can do to re-ignite your staff’s passion for your firm and prevent them from seeking other employment options.

Pay attention to your top performers, and make sure you’re not actively pushing them away.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

The recruitment process for many businesses can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and costly. Add in the tail end of a pandemic, economic uncertainty, and political instability, and the process soon becomes a minefield.

Yet the objectives remain the same for those responsible for hiring within their Law Firm – retain, engage, and motivate their existing people, and attract top talent in line with growth and business objectives.

As businesses in many sectors, law included, battle skills shortages and a shrinking workforce, vacancies remain unfilled and incumbent teams are smaller -putting pressure on service levels, productivity, and ultimately profitability.

When market conditions are challenging, it is easy for Hiring Managers and/or Partners to make rash decisions or have a temporary lack of judgment. Recruiting under pressure can mean that processes aren’t followed in the same manner, including ethical recruitment practices and standards, albeit temporarily.

But what is ‘ethical recruitment’ exactly? And why should it help to guide your recruitment strategy even more so when times are tough?

Ethical recruitment – a definition

Ethical recruitment as a searchable term has a number of definitions that focus on everything from inclusion in your DEI policy to unconscious bias and the legalities of working conditions and non-discrimination.

Whilst the above undoubtedly should be a considered part of your general hiring practice and standards, ethical recruitment in general terms can be defined as ‘practices designed to ensure the highest standards of professionalism, fairness, and transparency’.

In even simpler terms, it is about doing the right thing – and in hiring, that relates to the jobseekers and candidates you are hoping to attract to your firm.

Why is ethical recruitment important?

The last few years in particular have seen a spotlight on the importance of an ‘EVP’ (Employer Value Proposition) – the way, or ways that your Firm differentiates itself from its competitors when it comes to attracting talent.

Fundamentally it is a list of specific and unique benefits an employee can expect to receive when they join your firm – but also seeks to communicate and describe what your company stands for and offers as an employer.

Whilst your EVP should unquestionably be viewed as a tool to impact retention of existing team members (ultimately creating advocacy amongst employees to further engage (and promote) the business from within) it is also an essential part of a firm’s hiring strategy and chance to showcase to the market why your law firm is the first choice for jobseekers in that particular region or practice area.

As well as communicating tangible rewards (remuneration, benefits, bonuses), a firm’s EVP should also seek to demonstrate its vision, values, good standing, and reputation amongst its own customer-base and existing employees.

The recruitment of new members of the team – the end-to-end process, therefore, undoubtedly impacts the latter point here:

Your Firm’s Reputation

Acting with the candidate’s best interest at all times is a fundamental part of ethical recruitment and needs to be considered from the very outset and start of the hiring process. Your firm’s reputation in a competitive market will be a key element in a jobseeker’s decision process – and how you treat potential employees is key.

This includes being honest and transparent in your job advertisements, accessibility, and general communication throughout the process.

Quality of Candidates

Jobseekers, particularly in a candidate-driven market, are looking more intrinsically than ever at their potential new employers. From their corporate social responsibility endeavours to ways they demonstrate their values and vision, legal professionals who are actively looking for a new opportunity are looking beyond salary and the once-heralded annual bonus.

Rather, they are looking for firms that take the time to understand their own ambitions, long-term career aspirations, personal development goals, and motivations.

Demonstrating all of these things in your hiring process will undoubtedly lead to a ‘better’ quality of candidate – facilitating the right long-term fit as opposed to just filling the position.

Financially Logical

If a firm has to backfill a position or is struggling to hire a seat that brings in fees (or business leads), the impact on the bottom line can be significant. Yet making snap decisions in the hiring process can be equally as damning financially.

A recent article in Forbes looks at this exact problem and likens the impact of hiring the wrong person for a role as a ‘crack in a dam’ that you may not notice at first, but in time will ‘deepen, widen’ and ultimately collapse. The cost of a bad hire therefore should not be underestimated.

Ensuring that your hiring process is fair, consistent, and purposeful is key to ensuring you not only attract quality candidates but ensure that those you engage with are already a good fit and committed to a long-term career with your firm.

Putting ethical recruitment at the heart of your hiring

There are a number of steps a firm can take to ensure that ethical recruitment is a considered element of their overall strategy. Whilst not exhaustive, these include:

Recruiting candidates without discrimination

Discrimination in the hiring process often comes down to something called ‘unconscious bias’ that can affect judgement and decisions around who to interview, offer and hire.

Even today, businesses across all sectors struggle with diversity, so having practices that mitigate bias and promotes fairness as part of a wider DEI programme is key.

A McKinsey study in late 2020 found that diverse team members struggled the most during the pandemic and a lack of awareness around diversity, equity and inclusion issues continue to negatively affect employees even now. The data also confirmed that diverse teams tend to achieve ‘more.’ Therefore, it is logical to assume that law firms want to attract diverse talent in a competitive business environment.

So how can a firm seek to mitigate any bias in their hiring?

1. Consider anonymised applications (names, photos, address omitted)
2. Consider skills-based assessments rather than CVs that focus on qualifications and education
3. Ensure your interviews are consistent (structure, flow, question set, interviewers)
4. Consider interviewer ‘panels’ rather than the same interviewer

Move the process forward with cadence

Not to be confused with moving ‘quickly’, moving at an appropriate pace is important as it ensures that candidates in the transactional part of the process (CV review, interview, negotiation) are kept informed of progress and not left wondering about their options.

‘Ghosting’ candidates is a strict no-no. Legal professionals who have taken the time to update their CVs and covering letters, engage with a recruiter or gone through lengthy applications, taken part in virtual or face-to-face interviews, prepared business cases, or in the very least researched your firm and your people deserve the respect and swift response throughout the hiring process.

Once again, tardiness here can impact not only your professional reputation but can also impact your firm competitively if that candidate has a number of options on the table.

Transparency and Honesty

Communication and regular updates are at the centre of ethical recruitment practice. This starts with the job description and associated advertisements which themselves should provide clarity about the role, expectations, and responsibilities.

Individual feedback following applications may not always be realistic due to the volume and time needed to do so, however ensuring that communications around what an applicant can expect should be a bare minimum, ie an auto response that advises that successful applications will be contacted only.

Feedback following interviews however should be mandatory – and regardless of the subsequent decision, should be professional, respectful, and honest.

Partner with an Ethical Recruitment Partner

If you are responsible for hiring at your firm, whether that is your sole remit as a Hiring Manager, or an element of your role in HR or even as Partner, ensuring that ethical recruitment runs throughout your supply chain is key, including the use of recruitment agencies that you partner with.

Selecting ethical agencies is harder than it sounds, but there are some key things to look for that echo the main points above:

1. They have a good reputation
   …Check their website and general digital footprint for case studies and testimonials from other law firms AND jobseekers. Whilst on the face of it these focus on the outcome of a ‘filled role’, what else can you ascertain about how the candidate was treated, or the service that the consultant provided to the firm?
2. They are affiliated with an organisation or membership body that focuses on excellence and good practice
   …Recruitment as an industry is not legally regulated, yet many agencies choose to be part of a professional body that is dedicated to quality, professionalism, and trust. These organisations (such as the REC or APSCo) ensure that the agency is informed of any legislative changes within their sector and also provides members with the information, intelligence, ideas and support they need to be compliant and act in the best interest of clients and jobseekers alike.
3. They take the time to understand the role, your firm, and your requirements
   …Building long-term professional relationships is the sign of an ethical recruitment business. They are not interested in just filling a role and moving on to the next, but take time to understand your challenges, your motivation, and your specific requirements in detail before representing your firm with their candidate pool.
4. They only shortlist candidates that are a fit
   …In a similar vein, agencies that scatter-gun CVs that are irrelevant only demonstrate that they have not understood the brief or your firm, or indeed the candidates that they represent in the market.
5. They adhere and respect your own processes
   …Whatever your individual role in the hiring process for your law firm, you will undoubtedly have your own internal processes to follow – whether you invite speculative CVs, only work with agencies on your PSL, or have a recruitment portal. An ethical recruitment agency will respect these processes and seek the relevant permissions from candidates regarding representation before liaising with you according to your preferences.

In Conclusion

Whether you use the services of recruitment partners or not, ethical recruitment practices are essential to embed and maintain, as failure to do so can damage your professional reputation and general ability to hire, at least from a long-term perspective.

If you do choose to seek help with your hiring via a recruitment agency, then taking some time to conduct your due diligence into their own reputation and processes is essential as failing to do so can certainly come back to bite you, and by association, can be equally as damning.

At Clayton Legal, our reputation and good name in the legal sector has been built up over 25 years, and as members of APSCo, fairness, transparency, and ethical practice is a real driving force that we instil into our own processes. If you are actively hiring at the moment, we’d love to be a part of that conversation and talk to you in more detail about our approach, our market knowledge, and the movement of talent in your region.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.

Talent planning in 2023 – how can law firms ensure they are attracting and retaining the best talent in a job landscape that has been altered significantly by the pandemic?

In recent years, the U.K. legal profession has changed to meet client demands in terms of staffing, regulatory changes, the services that they offer – all in an increasingly skills-short market.

Skills shortages have become the norm in many areas of law, with mid-level professionals the most sought-after demographic; digitally skilled employees are also in high-demand, particularly since the pandemic.

Rapid growth in certain areas of law this year, namely Property Law, Conveyancing and Family Law, has only added to the challenge of finding exceptional candidates who say ‘yes’ to your job offers.

Today, we look at what factors are going to affect talent planning in the legal sector in 2023, and what your law firm must do to react.

Planning Your Talent Pipeline to Avoid Potential Risk Factors

Starting the new year by focusing on filling your talent pipeline is a must for any law firm looking to hit the ground running next year, and hit their hiring KPIs.

Identifying potential future roles for your changing law firm is a must. Think about how your organisation is likely to change, or areas you want to expand into.

There may not appear to be any signs of your current team leaving, but when you assume that no-one is planning to leave, this puts you in a risky position.

If your top family law solicitor handed in their resignation tomorrow, would you have anyone lined up to take their place?

With such a strain on many areas of law currently like family, property and commercial, the team’s workload would become unmanageable if a position lay vacant.

Working on your talent pipeline involves a focus on your employer brand; your online presence. Are you promoting your brand online as a great employer? Is your website mobile friendly? Do you regularly engage with legal professionals across your socials?

Building your talent pipeline takes work, and it’s easier when you work with a legal recruiter who will guide you through all the various stages involved.

Don’t let the potential risk of an unexpected vacancy get in the way of your success this year – start planning your talent pipeline now.

Finally, let’s look at how next year’s budgets could affect your legal talent planning.

Getting the Most Out of Your Budget

Legal business leaders understand just how essential budgets are going to be in 2021.

You will only have a set amount towards recruitment, and in our post-pandemic world, budgets are getting tighter everywhere.

One way businesses try to save money is by slashing budgets, but what smart law firms do is make sure that they are getting the most out of the funding they do have.

This means working with a recruiter who guarantees your investment and offers money-back guarantees to ensure peace of mind, like Clayton Legal.

When you are working with a tight recruitment budget, getting the best ROI is vital.

The cost of a bad hire can run deeply into your business. From interruptions to workflow, wasted time and training costs, and the cost to re-hire – wherever you are spending your recruitment budget next year, it needs to be with a recruiter who will guarantee your investment.

Talent Attraction – What do Candidates Want?

Knowing what you want from your legal candidates and finding them are two very different things. Our recruitment services are often called in when employers are struggling to find candidates with the right skills, attributes and attitude – the right mix can be hard to find, especially in a world where legal job roles and priorities are changing.

From the candidates we speak to, we have identified three areas to focus on which will help you attract and retain top legal talent.

Training and development – The pandemic might have got in the way of learning and developing in your law firm this year. Still, the most valuable candidates are looking for companies where they will be continually developed.

Digital focus – Alongside legal and personal development training, legal employers who are keeping ahead of the digital curve will also attract the best talent. Law firms that struggle to offer comprehensive digital tools and training in a world where remote working is on the rise could fall behind.

Flexible arrangements – Since the pandemic, employees are more aware of the benefits of a hybrid working culture. Employers who can offer the choice to work from the office, from home or a mix of the two will attract a broader range of candidates.

In an ever-increasing skills-short market, failing to offer what candidates are really looking for could affect your recruiting process.

Getting your recruitment offer right is just one factor involved in talent planning.

Talk to Clayton Legal today about how we always guarantee your investment, and how our expert recruitment process will add value to your law firm.

About Clayton Legal

Clayton Legal has been partnering with law firms across the country since 1999 and during that time has built up an enviable reputation for trust and reliability. We have made over 5,000 placements from partners to legal executives, solicitors to paralegals and legal IT personnel to practice managers.

If you are building your legal team or looking for your next career move, we can help. Call us on 01772 259 121 or email us here.