b'18 Local Government Lawyerlawyers with young families, who note thatTable 2: Do you expect that present levels of remote working in your department will.home working has allowed them to manage their childcare responsibilities more easily.Another factor was the option to live somewhere more affordable, which might beIncrease significantlyoutside of comfortable commuter distance from the council area.Increase slightly 8%Lawyers also cite fewer distractions from noise and interruptions when workingRemain around current levels 79%from home, compared to in a busy office environment. I get far more done at home than in open-plan offices, and I tend to giftDecrease slightly 13%my commute time to my employer, so they benefit in me working 1.5 extra hours per day, says one.Decrease significantlyAnother observes: The nature of the work means that I can deal with confidential conversations and documents [more quickly] working remotely, as other people in the officedescribing their overall morale as significantlyclassed it as a major issue.would hear what is being said and the meetingbetter, and 55% describing their ability toComplaints about home office equipment rooms are few and booked up, which meansconcentrate as significantly better. were also vocalisedwith many lawyers that people have to wait for the conversation/ One says: Sometimes I miss being in anstruggling with the lack of ergonomic office meeting to take place in a room which delaysoffice environment and the camaraderie,chairs, appropriate desks and monitors.the productivity - hence remote working savesbut I am more productive at home withHowever, by 2022, most of these issues a lot of time in dealing with matters quickly. less interruptions and it lets me balance myhad subsided. One respondent noted: We In our previous Life After Lockdownchildcare responsibilities better. have been given new laptops and equipment survey, carried out in April 2022, just over halffor home working and this has really assisted (53%) of lawyers reported feelings of isolationNew qualms seem towith working from home. I was also assisted and a lack of motivation when working fromwith home office furniture and I have a home.have arisenwith manycomfortable space to work now.Nearly three years on, 40% of surveylawyers criticising theFast forward to our most recent survey, respondents describe their communicationnegative comments regarding home working and relationship with other membersquality and availabilityset-ups are few and far betweensuggesting of the team as either moderately orthat fee earners have perfected their new significantly worse when working fromof office space, for whenworkspaces and have got to grips with new home, demonstrating that little progress hasthey do venture intotechnology. been made in fostering team spirit from afarHowever, new qualms seem to have arisen (See table 3). work.with many lawyers criticising the quality and One lawyer also highlighted the difficultiesavailability of office space, for when they do of solving issues alone, stating: MostFully equipped venture into work.impediments to productivity are resolvedLooking back on issues that concerned lawyersOne says: The particular council I work more quickly when in the office withwhen home working was first mandatedfor operates from an old, dilapidated building colleagues, e.g. IT problems, office procedureby government, it is interesting to establishwith poor kitchen/sanitary facilities and and legal knowledge. Sharing these issueswhether the initial teething problems haveclosed-off rooms. I have previously worked for helps with the stress. been resolved.LAs who provide modern, spacious and well-However, whilst fee earners cited missingIn our survey carried out in summer 2020,equipped offices and felt much happier going casual office communication and camaraderie, more than half (61%) of lawyers said that theto the office.for the most part, lawyers are morelack of appropriate technology was an issueAnother criticised their employer for failing productive and content at home, with 40%when working from home. Of those, 19%to provide basic materials such as pens and Table 3: To what extent have you found each of the following when working remotely?SignificantlyModeratelyNo majorModeratelySignificantly better better difference worse worseCommunication and relationship with management 8% 9% 61% 20% 3%Communication and relationship with clients 14% 15% 57% 14% 1%Communication and relationship with other legal team members 7% 8% 45% 32% 8%Ability to concentrate 55% 27% 12% 5% 0%Wellbeing/morale 40% 24% 21% 13% 2%Provision of and support for technology 15% 20% 48% 13% 4%Training provision 8% 16% 64% 9% 4%'