With the UK facing the biggest skills shortage in decades and Brexit threatening the status quo further still, remote working could just be the key that law firms have been looking for. In fact, remote and flexible working has become more popular than ever for law firms and businesses across the UK. Many studies have shown that remote working allows employees to be more productive and happier and having the choice to either work from the office or remotely gives staff a sense of freedom and wellbeing.
Benefit 1: Widens the net for capturing new talent
By implementing mobile technology within your law firm, it means that you are not restricted by geographical locales, for example, recruiting within a certain radius of your office. The world becomes your oyster by virtue of the technological opportunities available. An employee could be on the other side of the world but by logging into an online portal, they can join the local workforce as if they were physically present in the office.
Remote working also means that at the point of recruiting, employers can cast their net wider to take advantages of more opportunities to scope for talent around the globe and benefit from a larger pool of talent.
Benefit 2: Reduces staff turnover and retains staff
UK employers are facing the threat of increasing staff turnover more than ever before and this is a growing statistic. Fixing the issue completely generally requires extensive audits to identify all the reasons why employees are choosing to leave.
However, one surefire way to increase employee happiness and loyalty is simply by offering remote work opportunities. According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), 50% of the UK workforce will be working remotely by 2020
One thing keeping many companies from implementing remote work programs is the worry that such programs simply won’t fit the company’s business model, or that certain tasks cannot possibly be carried out remotely. These beliefs, however, are often based on narrow thinking or misapprehensions about the realistic impact of remote work.
Your employees will want to work remotely because plenty of other people they know will be doing it. If your employees don’t have the option, it is likely that they will look for flexible working opportunities elsewhere. Most positions in most companies can work flexibly to some degree. By trusting your employees, they’ll be more likely to pay you back with loyalty, higher productivity and better performance.
Benefit 3: Enables effortless collaboration through technology
Online collaboration dates back to the inception of the internet itself. People working on different systems could collaborate on the same projects via the internet and its early incarnations. However, the technology has had its limitations in the past and it’s only really now that technology has enabled seamless and efficient online collaboration as the software and tools on offer are far more powerful.
Online collaboration also helps to conserve physical space as attendees to converge in a virtual space rather than a physical location where space is at a premium and some firms simply don’t have the resources for everyone to meet at the same time. It often makes sense for a company to hold a meeting online rather than in a physical location in order to get the most effective results in the time given.
While email was once the primary tool for business communication, the array of options on offer now are far more varied and powerful. Law firms can take advantage of software integrations such as LawConnect that enables secure online document management, making collaboration more advanced but easier than it ever was before in secure and safe online environments.
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