The challenge for law firms and corporate legal departments is responding to rising workloads and employees concerns about balancing professional and family demands without sacrificing productivity.

Encourage staff to participate in developing solutions for enhancing your office's work environment. Solicit feedback from employees by periodically conducting anonymous satisfaction surveys. Ask not only for improvements they would like to see, but also practical ways of implementing these suggestions.

Publicize Your Programs
Accentuate those aspects of your office that most appeal to job candidates. Look for areas in which your firm excels and emphasize them when you interview applicants. For example, if your firm is small, you may have more flexibility than larger offices when it comes to offering nontraditional benefits, relaxed business attire or a faster track to career advancement.

Help Employees Balance Obligations
Promote management practices and personnel policies that allow for personal days when necessary, and provide services on premises that save employees time.

Show Your Trust
Most people work harder and do a better job if they feel you value their opinions. You trust them to be responsible and you empower them to make their own decisions.

Hire for the Long Term
The way a firm hires, trains and rewards employees reveals a great deal about its values. Hiring for aptitude and then training for career advancement goes a long way toward building loyalty and increasing retention rates.

Law firms and companies with worker-friendly management practices are at a distinct advantage when it comes to hiring qualified talent. These programs help create a productive, satisfying workplace where employee turnover, as well as recruitment and training costs, are kept to a minimum.