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Firms’ failure sees support staff falling behind
A survey has found that a lack of appropriate processes for support staff in firms is leading to a backlog of work, causing a knock-on effect that disrupts critical legal work.
Naomi Neilson
Firms that lack the processes to improve staff efficiency and morale are setting themselves up for failure, a recent survey has found.
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Software supplier BigHand found more than half of 807 respondents said support work is not being submitted as effectively as it could be, leading to depleted workplace morale and a backlog of uncompleted or forgotten work.
BigHand noted in the report that “support staff are often under pressure” to work on a high volume of tasks and firms that fail to appropriately allocate work or ensure correct information is given “makes it difficult for support staff to meet their deadlines”.
The survey found that support staff believe better workplace processes, an improved clarity of job tasks and enhanced technology would improve their job performance.
Almost half of respondents noted they have not yet seen any significant changes in the set-up of their legal support services over the past three years. In firms that are exploring new operational methods, support staff are yet to reap the benefits.
The new operational methods “offer a greater work/life balance for legal professionals, but to date, little progress has been made to extend this model to support staff”.
Close to three-quarters of survey respondents said they move work internally at least once a week, with 50 per cent reporting this was due to workload and capacity issues. By doing so, BigHand found delegation was a significant challenge for firms.
Whereas most work is communicated via email, verbal instructions and Post-it notes are popular in firms, creating an issue in tracking and reporting. Surveyed firms rated themselves low for utilising staff correctly and making informed managing decisions.
The report noted that worrying about which job to prioritise and being compelled to ask questions repeatedly for more information is “time-consuming, frustrating and has an impact on overall job satisfaction” for support staff.
“With dedicated and clearly defined responsibilities, teams are able to manage and prioritise workloads, while lawyers have a better understanding of where work should be sent,” BigHand noted of centralising support teams.
“With the ability to manage capacity in real time, support staff can respond rapidly to lawyer needs, while the ability to focus and develop skills within one area boost morale.”
