According to the American Business Collaboration (a group that promotes job sharing) there are some distinct gender differences in the relative importance of certain features of a job. Among the most dramatic are the differences in the importance placed on job security. Most interesting are the differences between exempt and non-exempt female employees, especially the trade-off between the importance of salary compared to meaningful work and opportunities for advancement. (Source: “New Career Paradigm Study”, 2007, American Business Collaboration)
Overall
Exempt Women
Exempt Men
Non-exempt Women
Non-exempt Men
Salary/Wage
49%
44%
48%
53%
48%
Job Security
20%
16%
22%
16%
25%
Benefits
19%
13%
14%
26%
22%
Work/Life Balance
13%
16%
14%
12%
11%
Flexibility
11%
15%
13%
10%
9%
Meaningful Work
10%
15%
11%
8%
6%
Advancement Opportunities
9%
8%
13%
8%
8%
Opportunity to Learn and Grow
8%
14%
7%
4%
8%
Relationship with Immediate Manager
7%
7%
9%
7%
7%
Employee Surveys
Ninety percent of U.S. workers in mid-sized companies (100 to 499 employees) think that employee surveys are a positive step by employers, even if the employer does not respond to the results. But only 51 percent of employers perform employee surveys. With law firms, the disconnect is even more striking. We did an informal poll of 16 law firms with about 100 attorneys (roughly 200 employees) and found only one firm that regularly performs employee surveys. The reasons law firms gave us for not performing surveys included:
“It would be viewed by our employees, especially the lawyers, as being gimmicky.”
“Employees would be disgruntled if we didn’t take action on their complaints.”
“It might be disruptive to the firm.”
“We don’t have time to administer a survey.”
The firm we talked to that does a survey includes all lawyers and staff in the annual survey and benchmarks the results to measure satisfaction and the performance of support services departments.
Experts recommend that firms that perform surveys should share the results, good and bad, with employees to build trust and credibility. Management should present the results to employees, followed by a question and answer session. For multi-office firms, it is advisable to use a live web hookup or video conference. Experts also suggest that employee suggestions be sought in interpreting the results and that, in designing the survey, firms make sure that some of the questions are directly tied to core business issues such as the quality of legal work, service quality, responsiveness and retention. (Sources: Opinion Research Corporation and the Society for Human Resources Management)
Candidate “10 Demandments”
Talent Mindset, an HR outsourcing firm has developed a list of ten “demandments” – things that demanding candidates want from an employer. The more sophisticated the candidate and the position, the stronger the demandments. The ten things are:
Earn my trust
Inspire me
Make it easy
Put me in charge
Guide me
24/7
Get to know me
Exceed my expectations
Reward me
Stay with me.
This is a fascinating discussion that is spot on to what lawyers and senior administrative staff members are looking for from a law firm. For a free copy of the details of The Ten Demandments: Rules to Live By in the Age of the Demanding and Talented Candidate and a free self-diagnostic tool on how well your firm responds to the Demandments, email us at Bob@LRGLLC.com and ask for the Demandments package.
