Hybrid, remote, virtual, work-from-home, flex scheduling, the list goes on… we’ve all become accustomed to these “buzz” words the past two years.
According to Simply Law, by April 2020, 40% of law firms in the United States were forced to adopt a remote or hybrid model. This new way of performing work was unfamiliar territory for many in the legal industry. Not Berger Schatz: it’s something we have been doing for years.
Our journey to hybrid pre-dates COVID and began with flex scheduling. Flex scheduling is an alternative to the traditional in office nine to five, forty-hour work week. Its purpose is to grant employees autonomy to create schedules that best suit their individual needs, families, and work-life balance. Although flex-scheduling was a common practice in many industries, it was not common in the legal field.. Berger Schatz recognized the need to adopt flex scheduling many years ago to enable us to recruit and retain high performing attorneys, particularly women.
“We wanted the best attorneys. And we found that many of the best attorneys, primarily due to the demands of raising a family, were unable to be in the office full-time. As a result, we implemented a flex-schedule to get those best attorneys and allow them the flexibility to work from home, when needed.”
–Andrew Eichner, Principal
Pre-pandemic the legal industry was primarily dependent on face-to-face meetings, court proceedings, hearings, attorney-client meetings, etc.. During the heart of the pandemic many industries adopted a hybrid model where those things previously done face-to-face were now done via Zoom. However, now many industries are transitioning back to full-time in the office. Not us. We have always seen it differently…
Consistent with our deployment of flex-scheduling years ago, we continue to use the hybrid model.
The benefits and results speak for themselves.
Here are five reasons we are sticking with the hybrid model:
1.Modernization – As a firm, we want to stay ahead of trends and to be responsive to changing societal norms. Similar to when we implemented flex scheduling, we recognized that this new way of work will bring more opportunities for future growth as a collective.
2.Autonomy – When people can cultivate their own personal schedule, they produce better results. They are more productive and happier. A hybrid model has allowed our team to feel empowered to be more independent, find better work-life balance, and work hours that best serve them and their clients.
3.Mental Health – We always have to be “on”. We help people through some of the most challenging and devastating moments in their lives. With that inevitably comes stress. Although working from home has blurred the boundaries between work and play, our team has expressed a sense of happiness and comfort being in a familiar environment. Not to mention, it’s drastically cut down on the high-stress commutes.
4.Stronger Communication – As a firm we transitioned fully to Zoom phones, allowing our team with one unified place to easily connect virtually with one another and our clients. We are all now just one click away, no matter where we are.
5.Higher Productivity – When our people are happy with their work environment, they do better work and produce the best results for our clients. Period.
Berger Schatz’s roll-out of flex scheduling and continuing use of the hybrid work model has produced incredibly positive results for our clients and our team.
If you’re seeking a divorce attorney and this virtual world is making you uneasy, we are here to help. Every client we work with has a different relationship and comfort level when it comes to technology. Our goal is to make you feel comfortable, mitigate concerns, and guide you every step of the way. To inquire about our services visit www.bergerschatz.com/contact.