Does positive office culture really translate into a successful organisation?

Law Firms who proactively encourage a good office culture report increased revenue.

Concentrating on developing your staff is no new concept but more and more ‘people development’ studies are proving that the concept is fundamental. What is interesting however is the industry that is investing heavily into this concept is the legal world.  

A study by McKinsey and Co which identified the top 100 places to work based on office culture revealed that in the top twenty there was a record number of Law Firms! This is no accident. Law Firm owners and management teams have purposely sought to evolve their office environments so that all lawyers and other key staff members are both empowered and incorporated into the team. Blumilk’s Operations Director George Robertson commented that, ‘these Law Firm’s recognised the divide between staff and identified that unity and mutual respect was needed in order to create a positive more successful office environment.’

But how did the firms make this internal change?

Understand Your Employees

The Law Firms implemented more than just staff nights out. These firms made interaction part of their everyday routine. All staff were told to reduce internal, emails, calls and instant messages and speak to other members of staff face face.

Goals

The firms relooked at their goals and introduced more targets and long term goals that were team oriented. This does not mean scrapping KPI’s but simply adding additional ‘softer’ goals to smaller teams to encourage team work.

Balance

Law Firms like most organisations struggle to make time for ‘play’  or spontaneous creatively due to the pressure of deadlines and workload. Some of the firms in question introduced a set 30 minutes each week for a planned team activity in the office. These activities don’t need to be boring or expensive it is all about creating the space within the working environment for employees to switch off.

“At Blumilk, our half hour Friday team time tea party, hosted by each member of TeamBlumilk in rotation, is something we’ve done for over 12 years,” says George. “Just a bit of down time before the weekend,” he adds.

By creating a stronger office culture you don’t only promote loyalty and motivation but the Law Firms from the McKinsey and Co study saw their revenue streams grow and their workforce increase by 60% in a five year period.

Reference: www.under30ceo.com and www.mckinsey.com