Most Loved Law Firms

Newsweek just published its list of “The 100 Most Loved Workplaces in America.” With a headline like that, I had to read the article. I will admit that I wasn’t sure which companies would be on the list but I honestly was not expecting to see a law firm. So it was a very pleasant surprise to discover not one but two law firms on the list: Cozen O’Connor (Number 67) and Benesch Law (Number 96).

Love Signs

What was Newsweek looking for? In partnership with Best Practice Institute (BPI) they examined five key criteria that indicate high employee motivation and satisfaction, which BPI has found are strongly linked to firm productivity and performance:

• the level of collaboration within the firm
• how positively employees view their future at the firm
• the extent to which employee values and firm values align
• the level of respect at all levels
• the level of career achievement

Method and Findings

To identify the 100 companies, they interviewed more than two million employees. In addition, they surveyed the contender companies; analyzed company ratings in public sites such as Comparably, Careerbliss, Glassdoor, Indeed, and Google; and conducted direct interviews with, or obtained written responses from, company officials.

The result was a list of companies that Newsweek said “put respect, caring and appreciation for employees at the center of their business model and, in so doing, have earned the loyalty and respect of the people who work for them.” The reward for these companies, according to BPI, is compelling: “employees are up to four times likelier to be more productive if they love the company they work for.”

The Most-Loved Company

So what did the number one company on the list deliver? Marriott Vacations Worldwide scored very well in a variety of areas:

• High levels of internal mobility, which means that employees are able to achieve promotion globally. This was the result of intentional individual career development and succession planning.
• Their employee retention rate improved by 22% since the pandemic.
• The company increased frontline wages in all markets last year.
• The company is diverse: women account for 54% of their global workforce and people of color constitute 45% of management teams.
• Employee benefits include “financial counseling, tuition reimbursement, fertility and adoption benefits, transgender benefits and, of course, generous discounts on travel experiences and resort stays.”

The Most-Loved Law Firms

What made these law firms standouts?

• Cozen O’Connor says “it does not tolerate jerks.” In addition, they permit flexible work arrangement for all employees and they provide support to help employees avoid burnout.
• Benesch Law offers parental leave of up to 26 weeks (20 paid), plus fertility benefits (up to $50,000). In addition, they provide an out-of-state medical travel reimbursement benefit (up to $5,000).

What About Your Firm?

Newsweek’s conclusion was that popular pandemic workforce policies were no longer optional but rather “table stakes.” For example, hybrid flexible schedules were the norm in the most-loved companies. By contrast, while some law firms reluctantly accept hybrid work they seem increasingly less tolerant of truly flexible schedules. This leads to the problem of Doing Office Time.

Reading the fine print, it appears that firms can apply to be considered for the list. While your firm’s marketing department can certainly fill out the application, what do you think the results would be if your firm’s employees were interviewed?

[Photo Credit: Kelly Sikkema]