Truth in Maternity A politically incorrect problem for many law firms is lack of honesty among lawyers and staff members about their maternity leave and post-maternity plans. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us what most firm HR Directors already know, the percentage of new mothers who return after maternity leave has been steadily declining to an all time low of 53.7% in 2003. But expectant mothers are often afraid to be too candid about their plans either because they fear being discriminated against prior to giving birth (e.g., less client contact, fewer choice project opportunities) or due to maternity leave policies that work against non-returning mothers (e.g., paid insurances during maternity leave for mothers who announce their intent to return to work). For many it simply makes sense to keep their options open.
This leaves their firms with the problem of replacing the person and then having them return after giving birth or leaving the position open and not having the incumbent return.
A technique that some firms are using is complete honesty and openness about their predicament. The approach is basically, “we’re thrilled about your having a baby, we would love to have you return to work, but we respect and honor your right to make the choice. "What can we do to help?” Law firm HR Directors who are using this approach warn that it takes the observation of how the firm deals with several pregnancies before expectant mothers are sufficiently trusting to be completely honest. Some firms have created focus groups made up of expectant mothers, mothers who returned to work, and mothers who chose not return to work. The focus groups are designed to review firm policies and look for
areas that may discourage openness and honesty throughout the maternity process. But few firms are willing to talk publicly about their experiences, in part because pregnancy-bias complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are up 10 percent in the past five years.
Top 10 Perks We are seeing a lot of firms adding some glitzy perquisites to attract and retain lawyers and staff. HR Directors tell us that, while some of these perks are quite inexpensive compared to the impact they have in recruiting, there can be political problems as partners question whether the benefits are excessive. In any case, here are ten (not necessarily in order of value) employee benefits that we have come across in law firms and seem to be a differentiator in recruiting and retention:
1. Cappuccino machines, high end coffees, selections of juices and free sodas in coffee rooms
2. Snacks in coffee rooms (donuts in the morning, fruit and nuts in the afternoon)
3. Subsidized health club memberships (more highly valued than in-house workout facilities)
4. Transportation allowance (parking or public transit passes)
5. Discount buying programs on computers, cell phones, cars, etc.
6. Lotteries for employee use of firm luxury boxes at sporting events for low
demand games
7. In-office tailoring, shoe shining and dry cleaning pick up and delivery
8. Paid extra days off for your wedding
9. Chair massages
10. In-office language lessons and Weight Watchers programs
One additional benefits that only a few firms offer for staff is full tuition reimbursement. Firms that have it note that the cost/impact ratio is very favorable. The cost is low due to low usage and the fact that most users attend inexpensive community colleges. But, the impact on recruiting is large, especially among employees who started college and someday hope to
complete their degrees.
If your firm has had any particularly positive or negative experiences with any of these or other unique perks, please send us an e-mail with your comments.
Signing Bonuses A bonus paid when an employee starts work is becoming almost common place for senior administrative positions, particularly CFO’s and CIO’s. In many situations it is a means of meeting salary demands without creating an internal pay disparity. In others it is a way of attracting top candidates to less desirable cities. Some firms prefer to mask the signing bonus as a larger than normal lump sum moving allowance.
Keeping Older Workers After a decade of trying to find skilled technology workers, some law firms are finding it difficult to fill positions requiring traditional skills. Firms whose most experienced and highly skilled administrative assistants are nearing retirement are concerned about replacing lawyer demanded skills such as shorthand, proof reading and foreign language capability.
Responding to a recent survey that said that 28 percent of workers who retired over the past ten years would not have retired if they had an option for part time employment, firms are creating programs to retain “baby boomers” who are considering early retirement.
Advocates believe older workers bring a stronger work ethic, the ability to work more flexible hours and have lower absenteeism problems than younger workers.
Legal Resource Group LLC specializes in serving the executive and administrative recruiting needs of law firms. We maintain the largest data base of law firm executive and Administrative staff in the world. This allows us to immediately identify the very best candidates. We find the best people, complete searches faster and have extremely reasonable fees. For further information, visit our website at www.LRGLLC.com , contact us by e-mail at inquiries@LRGLLC.com or by phone at 1-800-688-4147.
