As Virus Wanes, Employers Warm Up To Long-Term Telework

According to a survey released in June 2020 by Littler Mendelson PC asking more than 1,000 in-house counsel, HR professionals and C-suite executives about returning to work, many businesses plan to let employees continue working remotely when they reopen their offices and may keep doing so even after the coronavirus pandemic subsides. 52%of respondents advised that they 10% said they will not set a date until the virus subsides or testing is widely available plan to be flexible with workers’ requests to work from home until 9% were eyeing a return in three to six months the pandemic subsides. 1% each said they’re looking to reopen in six to nine months or in 2021 30% said they plan to change policies to allow telework as long as employees have AS OF JULY 2020, Google decided to continue remote work for its employees through July 2021. proven they can be productive Google’s decision comes weeks after the global law firm giant Dentons, with a workforce of 100,000 lawyers, had 13% said they will let employees in high-risk groups telework on a case-by-case basis, shut down two offices in the United Kingdom permanently and will allow remote work or option for travel to local satellite offices.

4% said they can’t grant remote work requests because their employees must work on-site

34% percent said they planned to open within a month

44% said they planned to do so in one to three months

(Sources: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-liveupdates/2020/07/27/895734132/google-employees-can-work-fromhome-until-july-2021 https://abovethelaw.com/2020/07/worlds-largest-law-firm-closes-twooffices-thanks-to-covid/?rf=1 https://www.law360.com/articles/1278720/as-virus-wanes-employerswarm-up-to-long-term-telework?nl_pk=7540c816-b630-426e-9f7ec2c870a24cca&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_ campaign=special)

Maryland Lawyers Survey: Impact of Pandemic Clear But Uneven

Important Numbers

Maryland Lawyer’s Confidence Survey: Round 14

QUESTION

Our firm plans on hiring additional attorneys within the next 3 months

Our firm anticipates an increase in billable hours over the next 3 months

Within the next 3 months, our firm plans to invest or expand in the following areas: Marketing

Within the next 3 months, our firm plans to invest or expand in the following areas: New Technology

Within the next 3 months, our firm plans to invest or expand in the following areas: Support Staff

Within the next 3 months, our firm plans to invest or expand in the following areas: Infrastructure

The overall state of the economy is good -100 -80 -60

-61

-40 -20

INDEX

0

-20

-6

0

20 40 60 80

-51

-45

-79

RESPONSES (TOTAL = 393) 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

Disagree Strongly Disagree Somewhat Neutral Agree Somewhat Agree Strongly (Source: The Daily Record’s Maryland Lawyers Confidence Index)

85% of respondents

EITHER STRONGLY OR SOMEWHAT

DISAGREED WITH THE ASSERTION THAT THE

MARYLAND STATE ECONOMY WAS GOOD. The overall index score for the survey, designed to measure the degree of positive or negative views, fell from -3 to -37, the lowest mark in the survey’s 2.5-year history.

35% of respondents INDICATED THEIR PRACTICE IS LIKELY TO INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, ONLY A SLIGHT DROP FROM THE PREVIOUS QUARTER’S RESULTS.

60% of the state’s 35 largest law firms applied for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program authorized by Congress to help small businesses during the pandemic-caused slowdown. 38% of those interviewed said they expected an increase in billable hours; that figure had dropped to 25% in the most recent survey.