Internal secondments popular as recession-proofing measure
Flexible working, sabbaticals and part-time working are on the rise as top 100 firms strive to avoid redundancies.
Research by Sweet & Maxwell among 25 of the top 100 commercial law firms shows 44% encouraging employees to take sabbaticals and one in four firms offering part-time working.
A third of firms say they have considered introducing pay cuts, although only one firm has gone ahead and done this.
Nearly one quarter have frozen salaries, while 60% are still considering this option.
Offering lawyers temporary internal secondments was the most popular recession-proofing measure, with more than half of firms moving lawyers from departments that have lost work into busier departments. However, this is not always possible as clients expect highly specialised knowledge and experience from lawyers.
Sabbaticals are the second most popular option, and the third most common measure is to retrain lawyers—42% of firms have adopted this, and 28% are considering it.
Several City law firms, including DLA Piper and Norton Rose, have offered trainees £5,000 and up to £10,000 respectively to defer their starting date and take a paid gap year (subject to certain conditions) until the economic situation improves.
One in five HR directors who took part in the survey said they planned to reduce headcount, nearly a quarter plan to increase headcount, and the majority (56%) plan to keep it the same.
Norton Rose introduced a flexible working scheme in its London office in March, and received approval this month to roll the scheme out across its offices in France and Germany. Its other international offices signed up in May.
Staff can choose to work a four-day week at 85% of base salary, or take a sabbatical of between four and 12 weeks at 30% of base salary.
Spokesman Sean Twomey said the scheme was introduced “partly in response to the recession and partly as an alternative within the firm”.
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