5 minute read
The Great Resignation: Can We Beat It?
OPINION
If you’ve read the news in the last 12 months then the unprecedented attrition of employees from businesses in all industries across the globe cannot have escaped your attention. The Great Resignation, as it’s been termed by the media, left over a million jobs open across the UK in July 2021 with more than 40% considering a move within the year, according to a survey by Microsoft writes Chrissie Wolfe, Freelance consultant, Founder of Law and Broader and Chair of the BLS Professional Development Committee
As a member of club “TGR” and former Chair of the Birmingham branch of the Junior Lawyers Division, I was invited to speak at this year’s Legal Geek conference about the impact specifically within the legal market, which, you will see from the data below, has proved no exception to the trend.
This data provided by Codex Edge shows almost double the exodus from private practice within the last 12 months compared with the previous 12. secondly, there are more women than men within this bracket.
There are also some key themes in where they are going. This graph below shows the movement solely of those shifting within private practice and we can see that the vast majority (just under 50%) have actually moved to a lower ranked firm by revenue. Down at 27% are those who have moved up and those who have moved to a similar-sized firm make up 26%.
Whilst there was significant movement within private practice, the most common moves overall were from private practice to in-house and from private practice out of the traditional framework altogether; either to an alternative legal model e.g. ALSP or consultancy, as I did, or out of the law entirely.
Following the analysis of this data, I was keen to know more about the reasons why so many, largely junior, lawyers were making the jump from their current employer.
I enlisted the services of the London Young Lawyers Group, KC Partners recruitment and my extremely helpful 75,000 strong social media network to help me get to the bottom of it and these were the most common answers:
To accompany the data, here is some helpful narrative from the leavers themselves:
1. Pay/progression. Whilst this was the highest reported reason for moving jobs, on a deeper exploration, most of those who gave this answer also said that they only began to question pay and/or position once they had become dissatisfied with their job as a whole and were no longer happy in the role.
2. Job satisfaction/purpose. Within that, there was the desire to be doing more impactful and meaningful work and to feel like they were really making a difference to their client’s lives, and the world. It’s not enough to be simply hitting the financial targets that the firm sets, they want to add wider value and achieve more holistic goals to benefit a wider market.
3. 15% said that they were dealing with a heavy workload with unreasonable targets and not enough support. Particularly in the remote climate, they felt as though they were working a lot more hours with no increased support or recognition. Particularly those who were working in the regions felt like they were working London hours without London remuneration and were looking to London firms to offer them remote work options instead.
4. Culture and flexibility. Remote/agile working has become very popular, particularly for those who previously commuted. Businesses who are not offering a flexible work option, or demanding that staff come in more than 2 days a week suffered the most criticism.
A better work/life balance was also cited as a key reason for looking elsewhere. In terms of culture, one of the comments which arose frequently was in relation to inclusivity.
Diverse candidates, particularly those who are cognitively diverse, reported that they felt like they were being forced into a work mould that they did not fit and did not thrive in with little or no flexibility afforded. 5. Finally, management. This certainly caused the most violent responses with a common theme being that management had all but fallen apart in the remote landscape in some cases and the management that they did have was being delivered by more senior staff who were undeniably great lawyers but not necessarily great managers. Many reported feeling more like a number on a sheet at times rather than a valued individual.
Following the Legal Geek conference in October, the BLS Professional Development Committee held its first event covering this topic with guest speaker Kelly Barker of Barker Morris recruitment. Kelly added some additional insight from her experience including the rise of the Keystone/Gunner Cooke model which many had opted for over the traditional pathways and the increased availability of in-house roles for more junior lawyers now which has historically been a later career move.
She highlighted that the millennial/ Gen Z cohort generally had different expectations from their careers and do not necessarily aspire to partnership; a concept which is very much new to the world of traditional legal practice. lawyers in particular are demanding something more from their job roles over and above pay and title. They are seeking more meaningful work with purpose and to feel valued as individuals.
Flexibility, supportive culture and a better work life balance are key to job satisfaction and employees are more willing to consider a move in the current climate in order to find the right role which offers them what they need. Every employee is different with a unique set of values and goals.
Open and honest communication between managers and those they manage is critical to understanding what drives and motivates each individual to thrive and perform at their best.
Happy lawyers = productive lawyers so why not keep them happy?
