Canadian researchers advise law firms to ensure employees feel empowered to negotiate work-life balance (WLB)

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose was to find out how lawyers at high-profile legal firms managed WLB.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers conducted interviews with 42 lawyers at two law firms in a large West Coast city. Both participating law firms focus on corporate law and employ around 100 lawyers. Interviews took place on site over a three-month period. They lasted between 20 minutes and an hour. Questions covered general experience in the profession, as well as balancing work and non-work lives.

Findings

The answers revealed the tensions between work and non-work experiences. Lawyers were driven to work long hours and expected to respond quickly to clients’ needs. But they had diverse attitudes to WLB. They could broadly be divided into three categories – “work-centric,” “non-work centric,” and “dual-centric.” Their life values were also strongly correlated with gender. Only dual-centric and life-centric female lawyers had actively negotiated alternative work arrangements

Originality/value

There has been very little qualitative research into workplace attitudes to WLB

Citation

(2020), "Canadian researchers advise law firms to ensure employees feel empowered to negotiate work-life balance (WLB)", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 13-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/HRMID-01-2020-0007