When I returned to the UK with my family in 2003 after a secondment to the U.S, I was very keen to find myself a new role in my specialism of commercial property but also with a husband whose job took him all over the world at times anxious to be there for my children especially as they settled back into the UK school system. I was lucky as the partners of Jacksons at that time were enlightened enough to know that if you give someone the flexibility they feel is essential in their private life then they will repay you many times over but ensuring that their job is done to a very high standard and that nothing is left undone due to the part time hours. It is this commitment which often leads to part time workers doing full time hours but not necessarily between 9 and 5! I found that as my children grew older and more independent I could increase my hours until all of a sudden I was backing working full time.
Having been given such an opportunity I am now passionate about helping others maintain their career at times in their life when full time office hours can be difficult or when people want to give some priority to their family needs. Considering this issue last week, I looked around Jacksons and was amazed to see how many people work flexible hours within the firm but looking at such people it is also clear that these are all valued staff members and are a talented pool of people and we would be a poorer cohort without them.
I asked in the office last week if anyone would like to tell me what part time or flexible working meant to them and these are some of the responses I have received.
Louise White a solicitor in our commercial team says “I would say part time working has allowed me to get back into the workplace after having a family. I have been able to structure my working week around the demands of a young family and have appreciated the flexibility the firm has given me to change the days I work when issues have arisen ( for e.g. a school nativity or trip to the doctors).”
Julie Dalzell, senior associate solicitor in our employment team says “I came back to work full time after having my son but requested to reduce my hours to six per day after I had my daughter. I proposed that I would always alter this arrangement should tribunal work or other client commitments dictate and the proposal was accepted and I think has worked well for both me and the team over the years. Both I and the team have the benefit of being able to have consistency throughout the working week in that I am here every day but I can then be there for my children at the end of their school days which has been hugely beneficial for me and them.”
Caroline Noble our marketing executive says “Working part time helps me keep a good work life/ home life balance. I am very lucky as I get to pick up my little boy every day after school which is something I would otherwise miss out on. I do feel very grateful for the fact that I have time to do this. Jacksons have been great with me during my time here. I feel like they understand my reasons for wanting to work part time and are supportive of it. ”
It is however not always children which lead us to seek flexible working hours.
Pauline O’Donnell a secretary in our matrimonial team says” I do flexible working. I start at 8.30am and finish at 4.30pm. This enables me to get my transport home better as the next bus is much later and it hits all the traffic. I think flexible hours are a good thing it means someone is in the office sooner so can answer phones or reception as clients do tend to ring before 9.00am.”
Les Brown, a consultant in our litigation team states. ” I qualified as a Solicitor almost 30 years ago. I have been a partner in practice and an employed person. However, having the opportunity to pursue some part-time judicial and law lecturing work I wondered if I could continue in a private practice environment. I was welcomed to Jacksons to provide consultancy services four years ago, working to a variable timetable in the office. Operating under flexible arrangements with Jacksons I can fulfil a number of demands on my time. I am able to undertake day-to-day work for clients, contribute my experience to colleagues, while undertaking other activities in the legal field not directly related to private practice. I am continuing to enjoy my career because of this diversity of challenge. Of great personal benefit is that I can click into my office computer outside of traditional office hours and still get the work done at a time convenient to me. Clients understand that I work in this way and this is very much now the norm outside of old-fashioned law practice ways. Helpful technology and a relationship of mutual respect with the Jacksons partners has helped maintain my enthusiasm for my job and pleasure in contributing to a busy forward-thinking firm. A modern, common-sense and pragmatic approach to getting the best out of individuals is demonstrating lawyers also are capable of moving with the times.”
Mark Stouph our health and safety consultant says: ” Working part-time allows me to undertake other work and interests. I am passionate about education and currently sit on the boards of three multi-academy trusts as a non-executive director. This provides an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills from the legal sector to schools helping them with governance and compliance matters. Meetings are often held on an afternoon which often precludes full-time employees from undertaking these roles. As chair of one multi-academy trust, I meet with the Executive Principal on a weekly basis to discuss standards and performance as well as trust development. The knowledge and skills I have developed in education are often equally useful in my role at Jacksons, particularly when dealing with education clients.
In addition to education, I also work part-time in the healthcare sector as chair of the board of an NHS company. This has given me a great insight into the challenges facing the healthcare system and an opportunity to try and make a difference in how services are delivered. The variety of roles I have been involved with has only been possible through flexible working arrangements. Up until three years ago I had worked full-time and would not have believed that I would have such a varied working life that I have today. But the variety benefits all the organisations I am engaged with and the skills are transferrable.”
It is clear from these comments above that part time and flexible working can work even for lawyers in private practice and it does not mean that client services suffer. I think it has provided us with a rich pool of talent that might otherwise not have been available to us and I encourage other companies to consider proposals of this nature in a positive way. You will not regret it.
Jane Armitage, Managing Partner
