International firm Eversheds will this year usher in the demise of the annual appraisal with a new system of check-in meetings.
The top-20 firm will roll out the new model following a successful trial of more informal, regular meetings in its litigation department.
Eversheds is believed to be one of the first law firms to cancel the performance development review, and follows the likes of Microsoft, Accenture and Deloitte in changing how development and performance are monitored.
HR partner Abigail Fisher said the idea had come from exit interviews with departing employees and research about the so-called ‘millennial’ generation. ‘The firm needed to change the way they did things to engage and retain the new generation of lawyers,’ said Fisher. ‘The lawyers told us they would like honest conversations, continuous development and regular updates on matters happening across the team.’
A flyer was created for partners to conduct quarterly meetings with fee-earners which are designed to be more informal and less prescriptive.
Fisher said retention rates have already improved since the first meetings in August and the hope is that employees will feel more able to talk openly about their concerns.
The issue of increasing workloads has come into greater focus in recent years. In December, an associate at a top-50 firm told the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal he found it ‘frankly impossible’ to handle each of his live files in sufficient detail.
Nicola Jones, a former barrister who is now an adviser on learning and development at consultancy Athena Professional, said law firms are increasingly exploring new approaches to performance management.
Law firm checks out informal appraisals
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