New policy give staff more flexibility to continue working from home
With lockdown orders set to end in Ontario, Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers is changing its policy to allow staffers to continue working from home even after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
Under a new protocol issued this week, senior team members will be given the option to work from home permanently, while junior staffers will have the option of a four-day workweek.
“We’ve found that our staff members are happier and more productive working from home, and we think it makes sense to continue,” said founder Russell Alexander. “To be candid, this is not a policy we would have considered before, but now that we’ve tried it, it just makes sense.”
About 15 senior staffers and another 15 junior staffers will be affected by the policy change, which Alexander said will be permanent. It comes after most of the staff have been on lockdown on and off for over a year, and amid concerns about returning to the office.
With courtrooms and offices closed during the pandemic, Russell Alexander Collaborative Family Lawyers shifted more of its meetings with clients online and attending courtroom hearings held through videoconferencing software like Zoom.
“Courtrooms have been slow to adopt newer technology but the pandemic really forced the entire legal profession to look at things differently,” added Alexander. “Hopefully one of the positive sides of the pandemic will be more flexibility at work for everyone.”
