In many organizations, employee morale and technology investments are closely related. At Oklahoma law firms, workplace technologies improve morale by simplifying once-arduous tasks, enabling better workforce management, and even supporting a greater work-life balance.
Improved Timekeeping Resources
Until recently, timekeeping has been the bane of busy lawyers, who regarded it as a necessary evil. It was not unusual for an Oklahoma attorney to spend Saturday mornings at the office, attempting to remember and log what they had done the previous week.
By investing in software that made timekeeping and billing easier, law firms eliminated much stress and consequently improved morale.
The ideal timekeeping solutions deliver the following benefits:
- Compatibility with tablets and smartphones, so attorneys could input information on the go
- Captures contemporaneous information quickly and easily
- Automatically collects details in a central location, eliminating the need to enter timekeeping details more than once
- Automatically fills in client, activity, and matter codes
These software packages and apps improve morale by making the billing process easier for attorneys and improving the accuracy of financial results.
Workplace Management Solutions
Another way that Oklahoma law firms have improved employee morale is by streamlining workplace management processes. Office managers for each department can track the firm’s everyday needs (supplies, cleaning, and equipment maintenance), the training status of each employee, and the worker’s job progress. To be effective, workplace management requires continual monitoring, and technology solutions provide the ideal way to accomplish it.
When the office runs smoothly, the impact on employee morale is a positive one. Productivity goes up, output is improved, and client retention and acquisition will also rise.
Mobile Law Resources
At one time, the concept of lawyers working outside the office was acceptable only under special circumstances. Even when other industries embraced telecommuting, legal professionals were hesitant. Now, thanks to cloud-based document storage and devices that enable ‘work on the go’, that is changing.
One firm, VLP Law Group, employs nearly 50 attorneys and counts both Fortune 10 and Fortune 500 companies among its clientele. It also does not have an office per se: it is a ‘virtual’ law firm that delivers legal services that are on a par with a traditional firm, but all the attorneys on staff work remotely.
All the lawyers claim that the arrangement makes their lives better: they strike an even work-life balance that has a positive effect on both output and morale.
Traditional Oklahoma law firms are now allowing more of their staff to work remotely, thanks to the mobile devices and web-based work tools that proliferate. As a result, there is less pressure for a busy attorney to choose between their work and personal lives.
Bottom Line
When employee morale is high at an Oklahoma law firm, productivity goes up and the best, brightest staff are retained. The result is a thriving operation that attracts and retains loyal clients, has a high success rate, and the fiscal health to show for both.
What does your firm do to improve employee morale? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.
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