Working from home forever - What will the new ‘normal’ look like for the legal profession?

The BB team and I read with interest this week about accountancy firm, Cooper Parry’s pledge to 'Work from wherever they want to' in the future.   

As the government restrictions start to ease and more and more sectors of the workforce begin to return to work we’ve been wondering what that might look like for law firms and their employees. 

At Bygott Biggs, we’ve operated flexible working arrangements for some time with our team working to deliver the best results possible for our clients and candidates whilst also being able to achieve that vital work / life balance. 

However, our offices have always been our ‘base’ and  the place to come back to in order to reconnect as a team, to share ideas and to innovate. 

As many of us have been forced to work remotely for the last few months, employers have been able to witness the success of this enforced ‘work from home’ experiment and see just how little productivity appears to have been impacted. 

Cooper Parry have long been champions in new ways of working and their latest initiative blends naturally into their culture of doing things differently, in bringing a fresh new perspective to the way of working together with both clients and employees. 

It remains to be seen how many more professional services firms will follow suit. 

After weeks of staying at home, many regard the prospect of returning to the daily grind of a slow commute followed by a long day in the office with apprehension and dread. 

However, for every person you know who wants to continue to work at home, you can probably think of another who misses the camaraderie of a shared workplace, a place to chat, to make friends, to leave the kids behind for a few hours… 

As the country begins to wake up again from this enforced sabbatical, I am intrigued to see what the mood will be as we all begin to return to our offices. Do we stand on the brink of real change in the way we work and how will this affect us all? 

I’d love to hear your views. Email jane@bygott-biggs.co.uk