“Good help is hard to find.” That’s what we hear from law firm owners all across the country. If you are struggling to hire and retain good talent for your firm, you are not alone.
So, what is the SOLUTION?
While there’s no magic bullet to erase all your hiring woes, there is one great thing about being a business owner in 2022;
More and more Millennials and Gen Zs want to work remotely, which means your potential hiring pool has grown exponentially.
Studies have shown that many Millennials and Generation Z’s value “work-life” balance highly- sometimes ranking higher than salary, and other incentives. This was the trend even before Covid struck.
After COVID sent businesses scrambling to implement remote operations, many of these workforce demographics realized that working from home gave them significant built-in work-life balance. And so the hiring dynamic has shifted dramatically.
Employees forced to work remotely after COVID realized they liked it. They liked being able to ditch the lengthy commute. They liked the convenience of working in their sweats or pajamas. They liked saving money they’d previously spent on lunches, work wardrobes, and gasoline. They liked hanging out with their kids or pets. They liked the freedom to work from the mountains, the beach, or a cabin in the woods.
For whatever their reasons, the current stats show that many people appreciated the benefits of remote employment and don’t want to return to brick and mortar spaces.
It’s the same for many employers. Dell, for example, saves a whopping $12 million dollars a year in office space expense by employing a remote workforce.
One Atlanta lawyer told me she closed up her brick-and-mortar office after the initial Covid shutdowns and refused to reopen the office space because her firm is operating quite successfully remotely. She is saving money and experiencing increased productivity. For her and many other business owners, going remote, or allowing employees to continue remote or semi-remote employment, has become a win-win.
While hiring staff or attorneys to work remotely was virtually unheard of before COVID, we’ve all seen that law firms can successfully operate remotely. Being cloud-based, having an effective case management system, phone system, as well as company-issued laptops and desktops – and using programs like docu-sign have enabled law firms to successfully represent clients, and sign new clients from remote spaces. The implementation of these innovations has changed the business world. For many companies remote or hybrid remote operations is the new normal.
Here are a few interesting statistics:
- According to Upwork, by 2028 73% of all departments are expected to have remote employees.
- According to Buffer, 99% of people surveyed would choose to work remotely for the rest of their life, even if it was just part-time.
- 77% of remote workers surveyed by Coso Cloud said they were more productive when working from home.
- Better work-life balance is the main reason why people chose to work remotely, according to Owl Labs recent study.
- A whopping 69% of millennials would forgo other work benefits in favor of flexibility working opportunities. (CBRE)
- According to TECLA’s recent study, 6 out of 7 managers polled believe that hybrid teams of remote and in office employees will be the norm in the future.
- 64% of recruiters polled by IWG believed that being able to pitch a work from home policy helps them find high quality talent.
- And here’s a BIG Statistic for RETENTION: According to Owl Labs’ recent study, 74% of workers say that being able to work remotely would make them less likely to leave a company.
- Stanford University research in 2017, showed that the number of resignations dropped by 50% in companies that provided remote work opportunities.
- And the last statistic: Based on research conducted by Global Workplace Analytics, since 2009 the number of people who work from home has risen by 159%. It’s a trend that is dramatically on the rise.
(See e.g., The Ultimate List of Remote Work Statistics for 2022, Steward, Jack 4/24/2022, www.findstack.com)
Why not use this workforce pivot to your firm’s advantage?
Instead of struggling to hire employees in your immediate market, you now have the opportunity to hire qualified candidates from anywhere on the globe for many of your current positions.
This is an opportunity that simply wasn’t available to law firms 4 or 5 years ago. Back then there were fewer candidates seeking remote employment and fewer businesses set up to accommodate such an arrangement.
Now, the world is your oyster. If you are willing to think outside the box and consider ways to hire remote employees to fill needed positions, finding those “pearl” employees will be much easier.
Whether it’s staffing needs such as intake, case management, case review, document preparation, medical records, accounting, social media marketing, or even attorney positions, law firms all over the country are finding they can meet their hiring needs more readily once they are willing to create remote or hybrid remote positions and broaden their search beyond their immediate market.
When it comes to remote hiring options, don’t just think inside the United States. Many law firms are currently hiring offshore in order to meet their firms’ growing needs and are pleased with the results. For these lawyers, they are able to hire competent workers quickly and for significantly less than they would have to pay to fill those same positions in the United States – and without compromising quality.
For example, two of our PILMMA Mastermind law firm owners are currently employing over 40 offshore workers and are delighted with the results. They’ve found these individuals to be hard-working and without any language barrier issues. As with any hires, do your homework and vet the applicant or vendor contractor to make sure the prospect is capable of meeting your needs. (Offshore hiring is just one of the many strategies our PILMMA Mastermind members discuss in their meetings. If you want to see if we have openings in our current Mastermind groups, click here.)
Hiring qualified candidates to fill your law firm’s positions is a critical part of growing a successful law firm. Fortunately, recent workforce market changes have presented law firm owners with new options and opportunities for hiring great talent, if one is willing to consider hiring remote candidates. Why not consider leveraging this market trend to your law firm’s advantage today?
***If you want to hear the latest Legal Marketing and Management Strategies, then grab your virtual seat for PILMMA’s Upcoming Virtual Internet Domination Bootcamp, September 7-9, 2022 12:30-5:30pm EST. To learn more or register, click here.
****What to know more about remote hiring practices and offshore vendors???? If you want to get the inside scoop on hiring remote/offshore employees, contractors, or vendors – then consider joining PILMMA’s Basic Gold Membership. It gives you 24/7 access to our members-only Listserv where you can gain immediate info and answers from other successful law firm owners all across the country.
****If you want to up your law firm game and spend time with some of the most successful law firm owners in the country, then consider joining one of PILMMA’s Mastermind Groups. They are market exclusive – and the next meetings will be held in the Bahamas. Nov 1-11, 2022, Mastermind Groups – PILMMA
