One large Southeastern law firm recently instituted a brilliant two-fold plan to free up space in their offices to accommodate growth. Facing eight years left on their lease, the firm’s space was built out traditionally with a high ratio of secretarial bays and file spaces to offices. They had already repurposed their library so they needed to find space elsewhere.
First, they offered some of their word processors the opportunity to telecommute full time. This option was offered to existing employees who had already proven productive and responsible. Several of them jumped at the offer because their commutes were often in excess of one hour each way. So far, the program has been a big success. The firm has more seats available for growth and the telecommuting employees have two more hours in their day.
Second, they realized that because most of their attorneys share administrative support on a 4:1 ratio, there was an opportunity to reclaim the excess secretarial bays. They converted several of these bays and the adjacent file space to open and airy interior offices by using glass fronts. Now those space can be used as paralegal or even associate offices.
