Lawyers working from home, remote from their office, seemed a radical idea even just a decade ago, but for some it is now a frequent occurrence. The need to alter work patterns to fit with employees and clients has evolved working procedures within the legal profession so that flexible work hours, work-from-home arrangements, and job sharing are now more common.
While working from home can sound idyllic (no long commutes, greater flexibility, and no partner checking up on you every five minutes) there can be some drawbacks.
Maintaining focus, prioritising workloads, limited workspace, and so on, can all cause problems for those of us who work from home. Let’s be honest – it is easy to get distracted at the office, but home can hold just as many distractions.
Here are some useful tips to help working from home go smoothly:
1. High-Speed Broadband
Is definitely a must when working from home. There is little more frustrating than a delay, or cut off, while in an important conference call, or when downloading vital documents.
Choose a good quality provider, with reliable, high speed connections, as without this working from home can become irksome and pointless.
It’s worth mentioning here that you should also confirm your mobile phone is capable of a good reception to guarantee you don’t miss any important calls with colleagues and clients.
2. The Home ‘Legal Office’
Some people find it necessary to have a separate work space when working from home. This is generally a good idea as it is useful to keep boundaries between ‘home’ and ‘work’. Do you remember the recent viral video of Professor Robert Kelly who was interrupted by his child (and wife) while being interviewed by the BBC? This isn’t a scenario that is enjoyable for anyone involved – except those watching it on YouTube!
Keep your workspace free of clutter, don’t let the house encroach into your space, and try to have everything you need at hand. For instance, have a good quality printer/scanner as this is essential for scanning important documents. A good shredder is also useful, especially when dealing with confidential documents.
When using your laptop try to have a stand and separate keyboard, or even a separate screen, just as you would in the office.
3. Video Conferences
The ability to conduct video conferences is a precursor to working from home; they are essential for maintaining face-to-face interactions, social connections, and work-based communications. Isolation, lack of visibility, and limited work presence would once have been almost a death sentence for lawyers, but video conferencing has erased these problems.
Clients, colleagues and business associates often prefer the more personal aspects of a Skype call, as opposed to an impersonal email or text.
Don’t forget to keep up a professional appearance as this has been shown to aid productivity when working from home.
4. Teamwork – while Home Alone
Managing multiple tasks is something every lawyer has to do well, and with cloud-based project management tools this is becoming easier to do from home. Law firms have become savvier with technology that enables remote working on group projects, and these tools can help organise tasks, give clear progress markers, and set deadlines for all involved without the need to be at every meeting in the office.
5. Instant Messaging
Emails generally form the greater part of most lawyer’s communications each day. However, instant messaging apps such as, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and so on, are offering real possibilities for fast, instant messages, and responses, between colleagues and co-workers.
This ability to communicate in seconds has removed another barrier for remote workers. Even though you aren’t in the office, the cubicle next door, or even the same building, you are still only a few clicks away.
6. Discipline
The final point to mention when working remotely is discipline. There are numerous distractions at home that might demand your attention, so you’ll need willpower to avoid becoming distracted.
Structuring your day so that there are clear boundaries between home and work is a must. Set working hours that best suit you, and your firm, allow breaks for mental space and down-time, and don’t be afraid to try different tactics if you are struggling to adjust to working from home.
Once you’ve settled into a routine, working from home has been shown to be very successful in increasing productivity and well-being, and reducing stress for employees, while also saving firms money.
