Continued...The Future of Small-Medium Law Firms is...

Even more flexibility in employment arrangements that needs to be dealt with effectively to ensure full productivity and proper profitability...

Firms need even better systems to cope...to maintain some fun in practice and profitability.

The big trend of course continues to be increased women in private practice, and unavoidably some further increased flexibility around employment arrangements...KMS already has a number of client firms where there are no male professionals and every professional is working part time...

Male and female employees are both tending more to require tailored working arrangements, and in firms that aren't properly geared to meeting these needs frustration is created when principals and managers perceive some employees' expectations to be out of whack with what they are delivering to the firm in return.

Improved communication around expectations and improved feedback on performance will be necessary for firms to be profitable while creating a culture that keeps employees happy...

Further, the types of leave that may impact on employees' productivity are very wide indeed...Personal/Carers Leave, Compassionate Leave, Parental Leave etc... 

With margins already so slim that most Australian and New Zealand principals in small medium firms make little or no profit after their' notional salaries, firms will need to take big steps in lifting productivity (on the limited days actually worked by each individual) on the new and increasingly more challenging employment playing field...

In my experience KMS WorkPlans and KMS FeedBack Reports provide very effective tools to help firms with most of the key issues...ensuring that expectations are clear and plenty of quality feedback is available to help individuals stay on track...team member and firm benefit...the all-important "Win-Win"...