People management refers to strategies aimed at managing internal relationships, recognizing and developing the organization’s human capital, and generating positive results for everyone involved.
The corporate world has undergone several transformations with technological advances. Changes in the legal field are making law firm operations and performance much more efficient. This is a constant reality that tends to evolve even further.
But with so much technology available, why still invest in people development?
The technology needed today in the legal field has come to improve the quality of work and boost results, providing greater savings in time and money.
However, believe me, it will not replace human labor. One thing is certain: a company is made up of people, for people. Therefore, there is no way to avoid investing in a virtual assistant for attorneys or human capital, which is essential to ensure the success of your business!
Your biggest customer is your employee. Have you ever heard of internal and external customers? Here’s the explanation: an unhappy employee will reflect on your external customers.
Therefore, people management has become a major differentiator for law firms, as it ensures their development and is the most guaranteed path to success.
Satisfied and motivated employees perform their jobs much better, become much more creative and committed to the company’s goals and results.
But after all, how can people management be implemented in a law firm?
Many still don’t see or understand law firms as businesses. They still have that traditional view, but today most of them have become large businesses, with countless employees and extensive technology.
Therefore, it’s crucial to manage everyone involved, understanding, developing, and motivating them to ensure a simpler and more satisfying end result.
People management involves several stages, from the recruitment and selection process, definition of functions, positions, and salaries, training, guidance, integration, communication, evaluation, constant feedback, conflict management, and employee dismissal, if applicable.
A key role in this process is played by the manager, who is responsible for setting an example, as they have a direct influence on their subordinates. The leader must demonstrate exemplary conduct, which has a significant impact on subordinates.
These days, we no longer have the image of a leader who merely delegates tasks and demands results. Today, a leader’s challenge is to encourage employees to perform their tasks and responsibilities, ensuring the company’s goals and objectives are achieved. The leader ensures the construction of a corporate culture guided by the law firm’s values.
Therefore, the leader, first and foremost, needs to know their subordinates, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and, of course, respect their individual characteristics. A leader’s greatest challenge lies in developing skills, encouraging, stimulating, and inspiring each employee, aligning everyone with the company’s objectives and goals.
To achieve all these objectives, combining the use of support tools such as management software to assist in this process is very important, since through the information stored in it, it is possible to understand the profile of each employee much more easily and thus carry out a more detailed performance evaluation, generating from there more coherent feedback and more assertive actions for each situation.
Of course, legal software can’t do the job alone; it won’t provide all the data needed for this assessment. The leader needs to use other tools in conjunction with it, such as monitoring internal relationships, engagement with proposed goals and objectives, accountability, technical and behavioral skills, motivation, credibility, and availability, among others.
Another aspect in which people management has a crucial impact is the reduction of employee turnover and consequently reduces losses in terms of the investment made in the employee, the time spent and, of course, helps in maintaining the client portfolio, since law is a profession where the personal factor counts a lot, and often, there are cases in which the lawyer leaves the office and takes his clients with him, generating a significant drop in the business’s results.
In the legal profession, clients often choose their lawyer before choosing a firm. For this reason, most professionals and firm managers have already realized that a stable, strong, and engaged team of professionals is the key to success and profitability. If your firm doesn’t yet have this people management plan, consider implementing it, as sooner or later it will be necessary for your stability and growth in the legal market.
Read below for some tips that can help you in this process:
Selection process
The first step is choosing the professional who will join your business. Investing in an effective selection process is crucial. Firms often hire professionals solely by reviewing resumes and conducting interviews. However, these days, it takes more than that: analyzing their profile and subjective characteristics, which demonstrate their ability to deliver results for the firm, is crucial.
Most offices do not have a specific HR department, so in these cases it is worth investing in hiring specialized companies or outsourced professionals to carry out this talent selection.
Workflow
It’s crucial that each employee understands their specific tasks and responsibilities. This ensures greater productivity and fosters better engagement among those involved. Having pre-defined tasks and a structured workflow is crucial for your team to achieve the best results for your law firm.
If this isn’t yet implemented in your office and tasks become intertwined, legal software can be a valuable tool. Besides organizing and establishing work routines efficiently, a legal system makes routine tasks much simpler and faster, making your day-to-day life much more productive.
Performance
Of course, taking all these actions makes it crucial to measure the productivity and performance of those involved. Only then will it be possible to provide real feedback and, thus, develop and promote employees according to their profiles and needs.
This monitoring and analysis is also important to motivate professionals and maintain a talented team that is always active and ready to deliver its best. With the use of legal software, it is possible to generate several reports that allow for performance evaluation and, consequently, for people management that is more focused on results.
Training and Delegation
It can generate excellent results and a much longer lifespan for an office. However, for this goal to be achieved, it’s important that the leader knows how to delegate tasks and inspire. Most lawyers are autonomous, but many struggle with teamwork and managing people. Therefore, leadership training and development are essential. A strong team can only be built with strong leaders!
Remuneration
Compensation is an important factor in people management. Pay appropriately. A good salary doesn’t necessarily guarantee motivation, but inadequate compensation or different compensation for professionals in the same position/function can be a demotivating factor.
Consider implementing performance-related bonus criteria. This ensures employees are recognized and valued, and they become increasingly challenged and motivated to exceed expectations.
Adhering to the people management process is no simple task, especially in law firms. After all, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for developing and motivating people. In addition to implementing best practices, it’s essential to innovate and test new ideas that can generate much greater satisfaction and results.
Without a doubt, proper people management results in significant organizational performance benefits. Law firms that implement people management come out ahead, gaining a significant competitive advantage.
A united, aligned, and committed team committed to established goals will not only deliver excellent results but will also strengthen the firm’s image with its clients and the market.
Guest writer
