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Cover story
Work-life balance is key
Managing partner of law firm Brachers shares her passions for equal rights, keeping the team informed and encouraging us to be kind to each other
Lockdown and the speedy closure of the company offi ce presented no real problem for Jo Worby’s legal team, many of whom had enjoyed the benefi ts of home working for months.
“We already had a fl exible working policy for our staff ,” says Jo, the managing partner at Brachers LLP, whose head offi ce is in Maidstone. “We off ered employees the opportunity to work from home if they wanted to and although not everyone took it up, when lockdown was imminent we were able to move quickly to get it completed.”
An earlier IT transformation project meant all lawyers and managers already had their own laptops, or tablets. Staff were also allowed to pick up any additional offi ce equipment they needed, then everyone settled down for the long haul. It has been a mixed experience, but Jo says feedback is generally positive.
“I have long felt it is vital to get work-life balance right,” she tells me via a conference call. “We had to act quickly to pull everything together, but it seems to have worked for most people. Now we have to look at how we continue, as lockdown is eased.”
Brachers’ business continuity team has met daily
throughout the pandemic and regularly updates staff on any new procedures. Jo explained: “We have worked to make better use of our intranet to communicate with staff . I have recorded video blogs and we have had town hall forums, where staff can ask questions on the latest developments and plans.
“Socially, we have run all-staff Zoom quizzes and teams have met for virtual activities such as gin-tasting classes. We also held our traditional barbecue, with a maximum of 30 staff outdoors, while those who worked from home were sent a Deliveroo voucher on the day and encouraged to have a virtual lunch with their team.”
It’s very clear Jo has pride in – and aff ection for – her staff . Marketing executive Chloe Whittaker, who joins us on the call, agrees it’s a great company to work for.
In September, Jo will mark her 29th anniversary with Brachers, which she joined after graduating in law from Liverpool. She was brought up in Norfolk, the daughter of a senior police offi cer and a nurse, who encouraged her and her twin sister to think independently and be compassionate.
“We had a great childhood, attending a secondary state boarding school about 25 miles from home because dad’s job meant he had to move around the county a lot and he didn’t want to interrupt our education. Mum worked shifts and was very busy in the community, supporting charities and being a magistrate. It gave me a very strong sense of helping others, which I’ve tried to pursue in my adult life.”
As well as her busy career, Jo and her husband (a technical director in the healthcare sector) are bringing up a son, who will be 10 at the end of August. In lockdown, they both took a share in
the supervision of home schooling and found the experience generally positive. “We are fortunate to have space and a garden at home and we settled well into the routine,” she said.
Now that things are slowly returning to normal, Jo is keen to maintain the work-life balance and learn from the lessons of lockdown, for her and all her colleagues.
“We need to be kind to one another, to think of those less fortunate than us and to be aware of the pressures that work can bring,” she tells me enthusiastically. “Community is at the heart of everything we do. Every two years, we choose a local charity to support, with donations of time and money, to raise the charity’s profi le.”
Over the past four years, Brachers staff have raised more than £40,000 for Kent charities, including Macmillan Kent, Heart of Kent Hospice, Headway West Kent, the Blackthorn Trust, Demelza House and Five Acre Wood School in East Farleigh, as well as its 2019-2020 charity, Spadework.
Jo is passionate that staff feel able to pursue their careers in a free and equal environment.
“I know that women in business can have a tough time, sometimes having to work harder than their male counterparts to prove themselves. Equality is particularly important in the legal profession and I will always fi ght for employee’s rights,” she says.
