International law firm DAC Beachcroft is set to launch new ways of working for its UK and Ireland-based colleagues, following feedback from colleagues – gathered through surveys and crowdsourcing – and clients. This latest development also builds on the success of the firm’s previous agile working approach.
The new, innovative approach, known as Flex Forward, will see the firm introduce three types of dynamic, location-based working – office-focused, hybrid, and fully flex – to offer the maximum flexibility for each colleague’s role. In addition, the firm will introduce a more flexible approach to working hours, enabling colleagues to ‘glide’ their time. Under this approach, core hours will be relaxed and colleagues will be able to flex their hours across the day and week.
“We have worked in an agile way for a long time, but our experiences over the last year have demonstrated that we can do more,” said David Pollitt, DACB’s Managing Partner. “The future of work is changing and so must we. We have at our heart a commitment to helping our clients succeed, and this is underpinned by our service delivery ethos which, in turn, underpins Flex Forward.
“This step change we are introducing is not just about where people are working, but when and how. We trust our colleagues to find their own balance and we want them to have the flexibility to design a life that works for them. If someone wants to start work early, carve out an hour to go to the gym and another hour to do the school pick-up, all while working from home, Flex Forward supports that. It also supports our strategy to strengthen client relationships and improve our service by providing the increasing agility our clients expect.”
To roll out Flex Forward, DAC Beachcroft will set three guiding principles that underpin the approach: meeting client demands, collaborating as a team, and delivering the outputs of each individual’s role. The firm will also introduce new guidance and policies to reshape how the firm works, covering how and where meetings take place, mindful travel, IT and other equipment for use outside the office, and health and safety guidance for those colleagues working from home. Alongside this, the firm is also looking at how its offices will need to change to support new working patterns.
Jo Nisbett, DACB’s HR Director, explained, “Flex Forward is the next step in our existing ‘Life That Works’ proposition and a vision of how we will be working in the future. Moving ahead with this will require trust and collaboration, with give and take on both sides. We will consider colleagues’ needs and desires to work in a dynamic way and endeavour to be as flexible as we can. We will also support our colleagues in finding their optimum way of working in line with our three guiding principles.”
