Friday March 8, 2013
In the aftermath of the work-from-home debate sparked by Yahoo's Marissa Meyer, other companies like Best Buy are following suit and eliminating telecommuting perks.
Still, 20 to 30 million people currently work from home at least one day a week and 72% of employees say flexible work arrangements like telecommuting would cause them to choose one job over another.
Below are a few tips from Brad Karsh, President of JB Training Solutions and author of Manager 3.0: A Millennial's Guide to Rewriting the Rules of Management, on how to make telecommuting work for everyone:
1. Managers: Make time for regular feedback. Even in a remote work situation, feedback should be day-to-day, and it doesn't have to be formal. This is your opportunity to set clear expectations and address anything about the remote work situation that is/isn't working. Be open in discussing productivity if you think it's an issue.
2. Telecommuters: Keep your team posted. To avoid the assumption that you are sitting on the couch catching up on Season 3 of Downton Abbey, be available to your team so they can depend on you for support and connection. Send "FYI" updates to the team so everyone is in the loop. Figure out how to anticipate the needs of your team - even from a distance. Go above and beyond to honor the privilege of flexibility you've been given.
3. Everyone: Make some face time. It's difficult to build a strong company culture when people don't see each other. If possible, make face time with your co-workers at least once a week. Meet for coffee, grab lunch, or go to the office for meetings. As the Yahoo HR Department put it: "Yahoo isn't just about your day-to-day job, it is about the interactions and experiences that are only possible in our offices."
More on Telecommuting:
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Monday March 4, 2013
"Content marketing" is a hot buzz phrase for 2013. Lawyers are beginning to understand the importance of blogging and other forms of online marketing, including:
- Newsletters
- Press releases
- White papers
- Articles
- Social media posts
These and other forms of online content can help lawyers - and other legal professionals - establish themselves as an authority on the web and gain a competitive edge.
What should you write about? One of the most common complaints I hear from attorneys is a lack of topic ideas. This list of over 65 topics is a good place to start if you are short on ideas for your blog.
If you are a legal professional with a blog, add it to our blog directory so that others can learn about your site.
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Sunday March 3, 2013
The Equal Pay Act celebrates its 50-year anniversary this year. However, females' pay still lags behind their male colleagues across most job functions. In fact, according to a new report released in February, the gender wage gap widened by slightly more than a percentage point in 2012--back to levels last seen eight years ago. Across the economy, females now earn 81 cents for every dollar earned by males.
Despite the continuing pay disparity between men and women, a recent list of the Top 20 Best-Paying Jobs for Women in 2013 by Forbes ranks women lawyers in the number 3 spot.
Women attorneys make up 33% of the profession, earning median yearly earnings of $85,000 and a median weekly salary of $1,636, according to Forbes. Despite these healthy wages, women lawyers only earn 80% of the income earned by men.
The gender gap is particularly pronounced in leadership positions within the legal industry such as law firm partners and corporate general counsels. However, women lawyers in the U.S. are making greater strides than women attorneys in many other countries. For example, a recent study of the pay gap at Britain's law firms shows that the average female lawyer is paid half the average bonus of men and only 76 percent of the average male attorney's salary.
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Saturday March 2, 2013
In the past decade, the legal industry has undergone a radical transformation driven by increasingly sophisticated clients with changing needs and shrinking legal budgets. Clients are now much more selective as to which law firm to retain for which type of work. As a result, a number of trends are impacting the industry. A recent report by Huron Consulting Group highlights a few of these trends:
- Market Segmentation - Firms are stratifying into different market segments. According to Huron, segments include:
- The Global Elite - International mega-firms
- Wall Street Firms - Powerful New York firms that have a limited presence outside the Big Apple.
- U.S. Multi-Region Firms - Leaders within their home regions that have expanded into other regions within the U.S., either organically or through merger.
- Regional Firms - Firms that are recognized as leaders within a specific state or region (usually in secondary markets).
- Specialists - Firms focused on specific expertise and often have broad national reputations.
Changing Legal Needs - Law firms are consolidating, partially because clients are choosing from a smaller list of firms to perform high value work. In turn, segmentation is due to greater firm focus and to businesses selecting specific types of firms for particular types and values of work.
Mergers - After a prolonged quiet period, law firm merger activity in the U.S. is starting to pick up as firms scramble to remain competitive by adding scale and capability in key markets.
These key trends will continue to transform the law profession in the coming year. Meahwhile, here are ten other trends shaping the legal industry.
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