By Michelle Spencer bio This is the second in my infographics series to help illustrate why good leadership is so important to law firms and how you can create strong leaders on your team. In my earlier infographic, I highlighted the costs of bad management and the important role a boss plays in employee satisfaction. For this infographic, I collected … [Read more...] about Like a Boss: Talent and playing to your strengths
Employee benefits
Schedule employee vacations for maximum efficiency and minimum conflict
Ah, vacation. A time synonymous with sun, fun, and relaxation—unless of course you're the manager of a busy legal practice trying to create the office vacation schedule. Yes, staff members need, want, and okay, deserve time off, but how do you plan for vacations without adding stress to your calendar and causing employee conflict? Granting time off How much time off employees … [Read more...] about Schedule employee vacations for maximum efficiency and minimum conflict
Like a Boss: The High Cost of Bad Management
By Michelle Spencer bio Bosses have the greatest effect on an employee's satisfaction with their job, and employee turnover incurs considerable hard and soft costs. This has great significance for law firms, where many attorneys lead legal teams, and there is a high percentage of bosses. Management in law offices need to be especially mindful of these webs of unofficial … [Read more...] about Like a Boss: The High Cost of Bad Management
Professionals want work-life balance. Here’s how to help them (and you) achieve it
Will 2016 be the year of work-life balance? According to new research from staffing firm Robert Half, 54 percent of professionals have increased their commitment to their personal life over the last year. Thirty-eight percent of those polled said they are more committed to their career, and 34 percent cited additional dedication to their job. Older professionals are just not … [Read more...] about Professionals want work-life balance. Here’s how to help them (and you) achieve it
The link between your employees’ resilience and your business outcomes
Today's employers are challenged to provide competitive benefits and employee engagement strategies that not only support the well-being of their employees, but also improve the bottom line. With resilience building and mindfulness training programs continuing to gain momentum in the workplace, meQuilibrium recently conducted a study to measure resilience against … [Read more...] about The link between your employees’ resilience and your business outcomes
When are your employees likely to be happiest?
What's the happiest day of the year? Hint: It's coming up! According to data from Gallup, the happiest day in 2013 was Thanksgiving Day: 70% of Americans felt a lot of happiness and enjoyment with little stress or worry that day. It's not surprising that happiness levels typically increase on Fridays and through the weekend and then decrease during the workweek, with many of … [Read more...] about When are your employees likely to be happiest?
Easy answers to 5 tough questions managers often face
Here are the answers to five individual questions managers often encounter. They are outlined by attorney Shari L. Lane of Northwest Employment Law in Portland, OR. Changing the face of the job 1. Can the office require an employee to take on a different work schedule or move to another location? What if it affects the employee's child care or family responsibility … [Read more...] about Easy answers to 5 tough questions managers often face
Paid sick leave and what law office managers need to know
Currently, there is no federal law that requires private sector employers, including law offices, to provide paid or unpaid sick leave, explains a new report from XpertHR, an online service for HR professionals from Reed Business Information. Without federal legislation in place, however, several states and local jurisdictions have taken matters into their own hands by … [Read more...] about Paid sick leave and what law office managers need to know
Average starting salaries for legal jobs projected to rise 3.1 percent in 2016
Starting salaries for legal professionals in the United States are expected to increase 3.1 percent overall in 2016, according to the just-released Robert Half Legal 2016 Salary Guide. Law firm attorneys with four-plus years of professional experience should see greater-than-average salary gains. Among legal specialists, compliance directors are expected to see the largest … [Read more...] about Average starting salaries for legal jobs projected to rise 3.1 percent in 2016
90 minutes of unpaid time off ends a bookkeeping nightmare
A Kentucky office manager has devised a method to control time off, focusing on making the paperwork easier. Keeping track of 45-minute appointments or an hour of personal leave is a bookkeeping nightmare, says the administrator, whose office has 26 staff. So she combined vacation, sick, and personal leave into a single pool of paid time off and made it a rule that the time … [Read more...] about 90 minutes of unpaid time off ends a bookkeeping nightmare