Improve performance management

The answer to this question may worry those who are tasked with ensuring that their firm's exposure to professional indemnity claims is being proactively managed and minimised. The organisational health of a law firm measures how fit, aligned, and equipped staff are to perform and achieve the firm's overall goals. The healthier the firm, the more successful they are likely to be.

Key to all of this is being able to set a benchmark and measure progress towards objectives. However, this year's Law Society career satisfaction report found that performance management could be improved in one third of law firms. The same report also found that less than half of all respondents (48 per cent) said they were confident they were getting the right developmental feedback. Of more concern was the 30 per cent who said they did not receive regular feedback on their performance at all.

Manage working hours

And it's not just a lack of feedback and support that should sound alarm bells. Today's technology enables lawyers to be more connected to colleagues, partners, and clients than at any time in the past. Lawyers work longer hours than most; according to recruiting firm Robert Walters, legal professionals had the highest percentage of employees working more than 50 hours a week at 38 per cent. Longer hours may not necessarily mean more productivity and may increase the risk of fatigue-related errors, lower morale, and burn out.

Healthy success

How law firms respond to the challenges of group and individual performance is key to minimising risk and maximising organisational health. The 'healthiest' companies know that protecting and promoting their employees' well-being allows them to adapt to the present and shape the future better than their competitors. This can be just as critical to their longevity and profitability as traditional business metrics.

The path to improving organisational health will differ from company to company, but for law firms the focal point must be their staff. The advice they give is their 'product' and ultimately how their success or failure is judged.