Peer to Peer Magazine

PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 36 As classic business models fall by the wayside and business structures evolve, it is becoming an accepted fact that successful business depends almost entirely on successful employee engagement. Law firm business models depend on motivated lawyers and staff members delivering high- quality client service, but firms face unique obstacles to achieving and sustaining an engaged workforce. Partnering our employee relations and technology teams at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister is helping us move the all-important employee engagement needle in a positive direction ELUSIVE ENGAGEMENT Annual satisfaction surveys are not enough to harness the power of employee engagement. In the semi-annual Employment Engagement Index published in Gallup Management Journal, only 29 percent of respondents indicate that they are actively engaged in their jobs. 54 percent are not engaged, going through the motions of daily tasks but not passionate about doing their work. Worst of all, 17 percent indicate that they are overtly disengaged, sowing seeds of dissent and undermining those who are engaged or just trying to get by. Successful employee engagement is not a one-way street with the employer making all the effort to interest and inspire employees. It is a partnership in which employee and employer work together to develop an environment that both are committed to sustaining. Creating this partnership between an individual and a law firm can be challenging. Law firms tout autonomy and entrepreneurialism. While this has advantages, individuals can feel they are no more valuable than this fiscal year's numbers. Even non-timekeepers are affected by the billable hour model and the "eat what you kill" culture. Although more lawyers are embracing the role of successful employee engagement in the firm's culture, it is still difficult to obtain leadership buy-in for the widespread employee engagement programs seen in other industries. GROWING THE PEOPLE PARTNERSHIP Obvious as it might sound, engagement programs must be about people. While tools (surveys, HRIS systems, etc.) have a place, they do not substitute for the ever-evolving relationships that firms must cultivate with individuals. We cannot have one annual event and walk away; these relationships require constant care and attention. Firms must be able to help employees weather personal situations that significantly affect them at work. This requires adaptive and often spontaneous adjustments. Given these factors, we at Taft approach our people as internal customers, continuously selling the firm and its services to them. • We rebranded our "human resources" department as "employee relations," emphasizing our commitment to our people. • We ask legal assistants and paralegals to represent their peers on councils that tell us what is and is not working CASE STUDIES About the Author Adir Rovner is the Manager of Information Systems at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. He is responsible for the document management system environment and other content-related tools. Adir can be contacted at arovner@taftlaw.com. Employee Engagement: The New Talent Contract "People want to know they matter, and they want to be treated as people. That's the new talent contract." — Pamela Stroko

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