Hybrid working – a real life success story

Global law firm Dentons has turned flexible working on its head. The norm today is for people to commit to set office hours – while their senior leaders work fully flexibly. But Dentons’ approach is the complete reverse.

The law specialist firm now requires senior directors and partners to come into the office two to three days a week.

Meanwhile everyone else can choose where they work best, subject to guidance on what works for their team.

Empowering employees

The firm began its hybrid working trial last year. Unlike many organisations, where people are returning to the office full time or being asked to meet minimum remote working schedules, Dentons has let its employees choose what works best for them.

Helen Simpson, Practice Partner for the UK and Middle East, says the firm recognises that traditional ways of working are “both unnecessary and undesirable for the majority of people”.

Reversing the norm

Starting in 2021, the trial was extended due to various lockdowns and changes in government policy. The resulting policy, known as You Choose, is very flexible and allows employees to choose where they work. Simpson describes this simply as ‘treating people like adults’.

Dentons approach is a direct contrast to standard practice. Generally, research suggests that senior managers are more likely to work from home. Yet partners and directors at Dentons, who in the past had the greatest flexibility, now come into the office two or three days a week.

Importantly, it means that employees who do choose to come into work know that it’s an environment where they will feel supported. A big part of the role of leaders, says Simpson, is to help build team spirit and to support junior members to learn.

Listening and responding

Dentons has monitored feedback monthly throughout the trial. Simpson says it has been broadly positive. “People have valued the flexibility and trust we have given them,” she says.

One thing that did come through in the feedback was the need for clearer boundaries for remote workers between work and non-work life. This led the firm to issue guidance to clarify mutual expectations.

While not dictating where people should work, the guidance states the activities that best benefit from physical proximity. These include internal one to one meetings, team meetings, training, client meetings and socialising. Its aim is to encourage employees to think about how they use their time in the office.

“We recognise that there can be huge benefits to getting people together – for instance, for training and to learn by osmosis. Social interaction is the cultural glue of an organisation, but we are not imposing a central mandate. Local teams decide what works best for them,” says Simpson.

Flexible guidance

The guidance, she adds, complements manager workshops and training to help them develop the skills they need to manage in a hybrid environment.

Dentons recognises that each person and each team has different needs and ways of working. Some teams, for example, have decided to establish ‘hub days’ when everyone is in the office. The firm has also developed protocols to help employees make the most of hybrid working.

Examples include enabling them to ask questions in online settings and suggesting new methods of contacting people in non-intrusive ways. Dentons uses Microsoft Teams as a way of interacting at the click of a button – just as people might chat in the corridor at the office.

Work life balance

Simpson says the priority is always to strike the right balance for all employees. Last year it piloted a working charter in one of its divisions with tips on delineating work and home life. Advice includes not checking emails just before bed and how to avoid digital presenteeism. This is now due to roll out across the whole firm.

The hybrid trial ends in December 2022, but working practices will be kept under review as the workplaces continue to evolve. While Dentons doesn’t claim to have all the answers, Simpson is clear that working full time in the office is neither what people want, nor necessary for the firm to be productive and successful.

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