Welcome - Are we living-at-work or working-from-home?

Introduction

FEBRUARY 2021

Welcome

Are we living-at-work or working-from-home?

The pandemic led to an explosion of working from home with many workplaces and employees pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the transfer took place. Some felt free from lengthy commutes and office suits but are now feeling as though we are living at work. It’s clear that far from the fears of workers not pulling their weight, if they are at home, most find it difficult to switch off and being always accessible to work emails may mean excessive hours.

Some lawyers are cooped up in house-shares or small flats without any real workspace beyond the bedroom, whilst others, who in usual circumstances love living alone, are finding the isolation difficult. Added to this, families with school-age children, have stress from juggling work and checking children are doing their maths lesson / not tormenting the dog etc.

Organisations are acutely aware of the dangers of burn-out and other mental health issues. Some are offering free online yoga, mindfulness, regular online socials, and while this may help some, there are many parents, primarily the mothers, who have opted for furlough in the short-term.

What do we want from life, from society to achieve the balance that suits us as individuals? This edition looks at what questions we should be asking ourselves in terms of how the world may develop. Is this even a gender issue? Helen Broadbridge looks at this in her article on our future work life.

Where we will be working is as much an issue as how. What type of flexibility or agile working do we want in the workplace and at home? Is it merely repackaging the 40 (or 60) hour week, or do we want more fundamental change? Do men want this too? How do we balance the different objectives or desires in our lives (whether that’s children, care commitments or other passions)?

Reflecting on 27 years of working flexibly in Scotland, Dorothy Kellas hopes whatever future normal we have; it will not simply be a return to old work practices. Solicitors at Capsticks, Linklaters and WithersWorldWide share experiences on handling a return to work, giving tips for managers and employees. To what extent is this approach applicable for judges? We are used to the fee-paid judiciary who do have some flexibility but what other arrangements could work?

Judges job-sharing in even the highest courts should be possible by allocation of cases/hearings and would promote retention of some of the leading lawyers who would also like more time for other parts of their lives. Barristers report particular difficulties over combining flexibility and ambition; those in private chambers feel a need to be constantly available, especially in the early part of their careers and many depart for in-house positions.

Miriam González Durántez emphasizes that the pandemic has highlighted that society is unable to function without the enormous amount of unpaid work (generally by women) which goes on in the home, childcare and care for the elderly. Society needs to address these issues for people to be economically productive, so what solution do we want to adopt? It’s estimated 30 000 childcare places in the UK have been lost and many parents will struggle to find replacements, with the outcome that one parent will need to give up work, at least temporarily, if they have pre-school children.

Economist Vicky Pryce argues on pages 18-19 that free childcare for under-fives would pay for itself by allowing parents to work and, in turn, this would aid our post-pandemic recovery. This approach is also endorsed by the Women’s Budget Group which states:

Urgent action is required to overhaul the childcare system … In the longer-term, we argue for a universal and free system, in recognition of childcare as a public service on equal footing as school education. Childcare, Gender and COVID-19 – Womens Budget Group (wbg.org.uk).

Let’s reflect on these challenges and make our voices heard by policymakers. I would be delighted to hear readers’ views. ■

Coral Hill

Coral Hill

Founder & Editor