The Covid-19 lockdown forced legal firms and solicitors employed within them to adopt quite radical ways of working and doing business. Much was learned in the process and many believe that the way work is organised may never fully return to the way it was done in the past.

Flexible working categories

After reviewing best practices worldwide, Support Services at Law Society of Ireland has produced a guideline for solicitor employers and employees on remote and flexible working. Four forms of flexible working are addressed:

1. remote working,
2. flexible hours working,
3. part-time working and
4. job sharing.

It also includes a template proposal form that can be used to document a request for any kind of flexible working arrangement and is relevant to both employers and employees.

There are countless ways that flexible working arrangements can be organised. For instance, the guideline lists 14 different options. However, the information provided on the four forms of flexible working can be applied to most methods of organising flexible working relationships.

• Guideline to flexible working

You can also find other resources and guidelines under the Covid-19 section of the Society's website:

• Re-opening and return to onsite work

The experience of the last few months provides an interesting insight into how we organise work. There is a tendency to stick with what we are familiar with but trying out new options and doing things differently can often involve big rewards. 

eNewsletters

This article originally appeared in the June 2020 member eZine. For more information, and to subscribe, visit eNewsletters.