It is hard to believe that Covid-19 was nearly seven years ago. Many of us will remember the time before, when five days a week in the office was the norm and WFH was an abbreviation barely used. Covid changed how we work and how work-life balance is perceived. It became obvious that people could do meaningful work from home, and the dependency on a fixed desk in an office fell away.
However, as much as we have all enjoyed the last seven years, hiring trends are showing a move back to in-office roles. Somewhere in the last eighteen months the question changed. More and more, clients are mandating four or five days a week in the office. Many candidates I speak with ask why. The truth is that in-person collaboration is still preferred and valued, and the ability to walk over to a colleague's desk and talk through the commercial need in real time matters. Not only does being in the office make it easier to partner and solve problems, it also makes it easier to learn. Some of the most useful things I have learned came from overhearing senior people in the office, on calls I was not part of and in conversations I was never meant to be in. Those water-cooler chats, and learning by osmosis, cannot be replicated on a screen.
For many lawyers, this is part of the territory and part of what makes the role. For others, a day at home each week is a real need, whether that is to do 'heads-down' uninterrupted work, to see the kids, or simply to have more balance and a shorter commute.
But what does the change mean for hiring? One of the benefits of remote working was being able to hire without borders: draw on international experience, or offer stakeholders 24/7 coverage across time zones. Many of our clients took the opportunity to reduce office costs and to hire skill and ability over location.
Without doubt, we all build better, deeper and more meaningful connections in person than on a screen. Research supports this, and books such as Build the Life You Want by Arthur Brooks make the case for in-person interaction as a foundation of fulfilment and overall happiness. But does five days in the office work for everyone, or is a portion of the workforce ruled out straight away? Moreover, with five generations now in the workforce and Gen Z being vocal about the need for a less rigid working environment, what does it mean for hiring in the years ahead?
At Meyssa Legal we speak to lawyers every day, and what really stands out is that most are willing to go to the office five days a week if the role has the right package, challenging and interesting work, and a brilliant culture. So I would advise any hiring manager and employer to first consider what is on offer. Does your business feel empowering and motivating for someone joining, and do you already foster a culture of collaboration? If the answer is yes, then when broaching the four or five days in the office conversation, tell candidates about it. Be passionate, show them what a great business you have, and make clear that days in the office will feel like a walk in the park, not because the work is easy, but because the environment is great!
