Taking Flexibility to a Whole New Level

WINNERS COULTER LEGAL

There is a lot of talk about flexibility and hybrid working. Yet too often, when we dig deeper, flexibility is minimal and the gains almost non-existent. Coulter Legal, a respected Geelong-based law firm, has decided it is time to break the mould and take the concept of flexibility to a whole new level.

Almost all of their people take up some form of flexibility. This can include varying start and finish times, compressed working weeks, part-time hours and working from home or from an office closer to their own home. They have adopted a flexibility model that ensures all employees can take advantage of the scheme in an equitable manner for their own circumstances.

“We pride ourselves on our individualised approach to flexibility,” says Belinda Perisic, General Manager. They have embraced their employees’ parenting needs and turned it into a competitive advantage.

The legal industry is often known for its rigid philosophies but not at Coulter Legal who have Alicia Carroll, Principal Lawyer and Head of Corporate & Commercial. She is taking advantage of the scheme by choosing a four-day working week with an excess load spread across the team. Bonnie Phillips, Principal Lawyer and Head of Family & Relationship Law is currently on parental leave and will return in a part-time capacity in 2023. The team are already working on a delegation structure to ensure that Bonnie is well supported in her return to work next year.

Two additional game changers include the extension of the parental leave policy to 18 weeks and the removal of any distinguishment between primary and secondary carers. The program also includes paid superannuation on unpaid leave up to 52 weeks, paid leave for pregnancy loss, paid leave for IVF treatment, and additional support on return to work including part-time and staggered returns.