It surveyed individuals’ perceptions of their employers’ and the profession’s attitudes towards people and productivity, technology and workflow, business strategy and investment, and recruitment, among other matters.

4-day weeks

In the last two years, the D&D-ALPMA report has found that enhanced flexible working conditions to be the approach that would most improve work/life balance for legal professionals, with 30 per cent of survey respondents indicating as such.

This year, however, that number was cut in half, as a new option – the ability to reduce one’s schedule to a four-day week – was presented to survey respondents. That new option was identified by 29 per cent of respondents as the approach that would improve their work/life balance most significantly.

Increased remuneration was selected by 14 per cent, followed by new technology to assist in one’s role (13 per cent).

In recent years, various Australia-based firms have unveiled allowances for shorter working weeks.

NSW-based practice Coutts Lawyers and Conveyancers introduced a four-day week option in mid-2022, and listed national plaintiff firm Shine Lawyers introduced a nine-day fortnight in August of that year. And last month, multinational firm Pinsent Masons unveiled a pilot program whereby its staff can finish their working weeks at lunchtime on Fridays – a trial that will come to Australia this summer.

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As reported by Lawyers Weekly’s sister brand, HR Leader, in August 2023, four-day weeks saw the volume of personal days taken at businesses across the board drop by a staggering 44 per cent.

While there was clear excitement for the prospect of a four-day working week in order to bolster one’s balance between work and general life, there were fascinating discrepancies in enthusiasm for the option based on job title.

Two in three (67 per cent) of respondents identifying as solicitors or lawyers said a four-day week would most improve their work/life balance, one-third (36 per cent) of practice managers said the same thing, and one in five (22 per cent) of CEOs/COOs/general managers agreed.

Interestingly, only 15 per cent of sole practitioners selected a four-day week as the approach most likely to improve work/life balance, but as the report suggested, this is perhaps explained by “existing flexibility” that may be present in their individual practices.

In addition to three in 10 (29 per cent) of respondents believing that their work/life balance would most improve if they were able to work a four-day week, an overall 91 per cent of survey respondents believe that being able to work such a condensed week would improve work/life balance by a large, very large or extremely large extent.

Other options or approaches did not garner anywhere the same level of confidence, such as new technology (50 per cent) or flexible working conditions, including the ability to work from home (59 per cent).

However, despite enthusiasm for a shorter week, there is “reduced confidence” that employers will provide such a benefit to staff.

When asked how likely it is that one’s law firm would implement selected options to improve work/life balance, four-day weeks were perceived as the least likely (behind increased remuneration and improved workplace culture). Only 29 per cent of respondents believe it is likely (extremely, very, or moderately) that their firms will introduce four-day working weeks.

Broader work/life balance

Zooming out for a more holistic view of the profession, the report detailed that, in 2024, just 28 per cent of respondents believe that legal professionals across the board in Australia and New Zealand are striking a healthy balance, following overall improvements in such perceptions between 2019–2023 in this annual report.

Legal professionals’ views of their own work/life balance have also dropped, with just over two-thirds (68 per cent) believing they are striking a healthy balance, compared to 73 per cent last year.

Of all job types surveyed, sole practitioners were the most likely to positively rate their own work/life balance, with 91 per cent indicating as such.

Notably, firms with employees in New Zealand were more likely to believe that they enjoy a healthy work/life balance (89 per cent) compared to Australian firms (76 per cent).

Elsewhere, the gender gap in perceptions was stark.

Men are more likely than women to think that legal professionals have a good work/life balance (40 per cent to 28 per cent), but they are also less likely to judge their individual work/life balance as positive, relative to their female counterparts (73 per cent to 82 to per cent).