In a recent development, Slaughter & May’s office attendance policy, which facilitates active tracking of its associates, has inspired another Magic Circle firm to adopt similar methods. According to reports, Clifford Chance will now enforce an in-office presence of 50% of the time, amounting to five days every two weeks. Intriguingly, this policy compliance is set to be monitored through surveillance. Read more.
An official spokesperson from Clifford Chance has shared some vital information on this stance. Roll on Friday received a statement from the firm confirming that, starting February 1, 2024, they will review the data of individual attendance across its London and Newcastle offices. With this added transparency, managers are expected to understand and support their team’s adherence to the hybrid work policy more efficiently.
“We regularly review our approach to hybrid working and continue to believe that our current UK policy of working from the office at least 50% over a two week period is right for our business, our clients and people.”
“We know from our own experience and employee feedback that when consistently applied, our hybrid working policy provides our people a greater opportunity to learn, develop and collaborate with colleagues and clients thereby supporting our growth ambitions and enhancing the culture of the firm.”
With this move, Clifford Chance reiterates its firm belief in its flexible working policy. This punctuates the trend in law firms increasingly leveraging technology to ensure firm-wide policy compliance and to maintain consistency and adaptability within the workspace.
I would like to reiterate a point made in a previous article: any firm with such an attendance policy is very likely utilizing available technology to ensure compliance. Associates should be aware of this possibility. Learn more.