Refusal to attend the office for at least three days a week will lead to partners at one City law firm receiving negative performance reviews.
Partners at Addleshaw Goddard – one of the UK’s top-20 firms – could even see their bonuses reduced under a policy that’s thought to be the first of its kind in the Square Mile, as performance reviews are linked to remuneration.
The Times has reported that Addleshaw Goddard made three-day attendance mandatory for all lawyers at the firm earlier in May.
Its managing partner, Andrew Johnston, told The Times that the edict was issued to ensure it was “delivering excellent client service right across our business”.
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He said that although there were benefits from having flexibility in the working week, the measures were necessary because “nothing can replace the benefits to client service and firm culture that come from being physically present together. Spending time together can give us a real competitive advantage”.
Managing partners at law firms across the City have expressed concerns that remote working is damaging business, partly because junior lawyers were more likely to flounder without direct senior supervision.
According to The Lawyer, which revealed the decision, lawyers at the firm will retain the flexibility to choose the days they work in the office and which office they work from.
Addleshaw Goddard has offices around the world, including in Dublin, and five in the UK — its City headquarters and in Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Property consultancies have reported sharp rises in demand among law firms in London for modern office space to attract staff and improve productivity.
In January it emerged that the London office of EY, one of the big four services firms, was analysing entrance turnstile data to monitor attendance and tackle breaches of its remote working policies.
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