Will it benefit employee’s mental health? Based on what we’ve seen in other countries, it’s undetermined. The language is often vague, and there are exceptions for emergencies, which there should be. But that opens up loopholes in who gets to define “emergency.” (I have worked with lawyers for years; their definition of emergency might be anything that prevents them from billing time right this very second.)
When I look back on those years, it breaks my heart to know that half (probably much more!) of the people in our industry exist as some version of me in my teens and twenties because they don’t feel safe. On a very personal level, it makes me cry for all the pain and hurt out there that I wish others didn’t have to know so well. On a professional level, it hurts all of us. How much better equipped could we be for technology changes and the challenges of working in the legal industry if there weren’t so many women and men who felt the need to hide to feel safe? How much more successful could your organization be if all of these folks felt safe enough to stop hiding their talents and ideas? Leaders, what are you doing to ensure that everyone feels safe? Are you telling them how to hide themselves better, or are you creating a space where they don’t need to?
It matters to the bottom line, it matters in terms of career development, and it matters personally to far too many people who have their own stories to tell about their own experiences in and around our industry. Listen to them. Let it hurt you to hear their stories. Let it be heavy for you to learn the truth. Let that hurt turn into a determination to put an end to it.
Working from home opens up opportunities to people who can’t, for many reasons, travel to an office every day. It can, however, be lonely at times. Finding the right balance is key. Finding the places where you can still connect with people outside of work is key. You’re no longer spending a third of your day in the same location as your coworkers and connecting by default. Still, you can connect and be more involved in your community because you’re not spending another couple of hours commuting. You can spend more time with your family.
You have to figure out what works and doesn’t work.
I find it interesting that the same people who only want to hire “the most qualified” person also want to limit themselves to hiring only people who live in the vicinity of their office and are physically able to be in the office 8-10 hours per day, five days a week. It seems that leaves out many talented people who might be better qualified. Can your company compete with just that labor pool in a global economy when others search the world for talent?
If foreign companies poach American workers to work remotely, they might know something you don’t.
As the article below points out, I bet this wasn’t a technical issue. It’s not a bug. It’s a poor configuration choice, yes, likely made worse by a poor change management process. Somewhere along the way, you’d think someone would have it written down that this existed, and someone would see it written down and act on it. That didn’t happen. You’d also like to think there would be a hard rule to enable MFA in any environment, including testing ones.
Clear, realistic expectations. Clearly defined roles. Open communication. Fair treatment.
This shouldn’t be that difficult, and yet here we are.