Equal Opportunities: Flexible Working Policy
Aims and Purpose
Two Harcourt Buildings is committed to the operation of a flexible working policy which covers the right of a member of chambers to take a career break, to work part-time, to work flexible hours or to work from home to enable them to manage their family responsibilities or disability and remain in practice.
Circulation
This policy is circulated to all members, clerks and staff all of whom are required to:
read and understand the policy; and
understand their role in relation to the policy.
Review of this Policy
This policy is reviewed by Chambers’ Equality and Diversity Officer every two years.
Establishing flexible working arrangements
Individual practitioners are expected to be proactive in proposing and seeking to agree flexible working patterns and fair arrangements for the use of Chambers’ resources. All arrangements will be agreed and understood before any period of flexible working commences.
The Senior Clerk will undertake a practice meeting with any member who wishes to work flexibly to establish the desired working perimeters (e.g. taking a career break; working during school term-times only; not working on certain days of the week), to discuss whether the member’s current practice can be managed on the basis proposed, and to discuss and agree adjustments to the member’s practice that may be necessary to facilitate the new working arrangements. All agreed arrangements will be disseminated to other clerks / members of staff responsible for the organisation of the member’s work. Relevant information about changes to a member’s working practices will be disseminated to instructing solicitors as appropriate.
Sabbaticals / career breaks
In addition to maternity and other parental leave, any tenant in Chambers may take sabbatical leave of up to 12 months after completing seven years’ continuous membership, during which time he/she shall not be liable for the fixed amount of Chambers’ expenses (he / she will still be liable for contributions on net fees).
In the event of long-term health issues affecting ability to work, the tenant affected may approach the Head of Chambers and Senior Clerk to discuss the possibility of making adjustments to their liabilities.
Resources
All members of chambers are able to access their chambers’ emails remotely from any Internet enabled machine and to receive and send such emails from Smart devices including BlackBerries and I-Phones. They are all also enabled to remotely access their LEX diaries in the same way. The clerks will scan and email paperwork as required to members who are away from Chambers. Members may also view papers saved electronically on any case in which they have been instructed.
All members are included on an email distribution list managed by the Chambers’ Administrator and will therefore receive all emails relating to Chambers’ and general Bar matters that are circulated regularly even if they are on a career break or a period of parental leave.
The Junior Clerk will monitor the pigeonholes of any members who are away from Chambers for any length of time and will forward on any accumulated post at regular intervals.
Chambers’ Activities
The availability of members who work flexibly will be taken into consideration when arranging Chambers’ activities including training, marketing and social activities. While it will not always be possible to accommodate the needs of all – some events will have to place after standard working hours – efforts will be made to consider other marketing methods e.g. smaller scale lunches, day seminars, writing and publishing promotional articles.
Clerks and other employees
Clerks and other members are staff are bound by their individual contracts of employment which are deemed to incorporate all current UK law relating to family rights and flexible working.
The Senior Clerk and/or Head of Chambers will consider requests to work flexibly from employees with a minimum of 26 weeks’ continuous service.