Linklaters is turning to its staff to help find a solution to work/life balance problems, with the firm launching a 3-day crowdsourcing event.

The online debate, which runs from today until 15 October, is intended to give all employees and partners a forum for discussing problems and suggesting solutions.

The move comes after the firm's global engagement survey identified work/life balance as an area where the firm could improve. 

The initiative, named The Jam, is intended to be an opportunity for people to discuss issues such as flexible-working, model work allocations and improving recognition.

Linklaters said it was committed to implementing any ideas that come out of the discussion, as long as they were "practical, reasonable and affordable for our business."

London projects partner Fiona Hobbs said: "Some people may sneer at a law firm's attempts to address work/life balance issues but if law firms, and frankly businesses across many industries, are still grappling with the problem, I would argue that it is, perhaps in part, due to dismissive attitudes."

She added: "Through crowdsourcing we are hoping to identify some solutions. Some may be small changes that make things easier for the few or the many, others may prove really innovative ideas that completely turn things on their head."

A number of firms have been launching initiatives to tackle concerns about the effect long hours and 24/7 availability are having on their lawyers.

In August Herbert Smith Freehills launched a remote working programme in London which invited fee-earners to work from home at least one day a week.

In March Slaughter and May launched a second pilot of its flexible working scheme, open to associates who qualified on or before 2013.