Legal People’s Guide to a Compelling Employee Value Proposition

It is no secret that it is a candidate’s market here on the east coast of Australia, and many job-seeking lawyers and legal assistants are fielding multiple offers. Other passive candidates are being approached to consider roles regularly by recruiters and firms directly.

When a candidate is considering a new role, they spend significant time researching and doing their due diligence on a prospective employer. My team of specialist legal recruitment consultants are finding that they are comparing everything from company values, HR policies, environment, diversity and inclusion and sustainability commitments and even community and charity involvement.

Whilst comparing salaries across law firms can be relatively straight forward, capturing everything else that your firm offers in the way of perks, benefits in an easy-to-understand, compelling manner has never been more important. No longer does your company brand and list of key clients convince a new employee to join your team, they want to look deeper to find the right fit for their individual values and needs.

I recommend investing in your employee value proposition in such a way that it is succinct, written in layman’s, easy-to-understand terms and makes use of visually appealing graphics or icons to help it be easily digested. When attempting to quickly convince a talented lawyer/legal assistant that they should come and work for you, this is not the time for sharing 20-page policy documents or vague ideological statements!

What is an EVP?

Your employee value proposition (EVP) is the reason people come to work for you. It is the benefits, perks, privileges, and conditions available to an employee. A strong EVP both helps retain and attract talent.

What Details Should You Include in your EVP?

1.????Financial Benefits

It is useful to include a statement about salaries being competitive and regularly benchmarked to the market. Candidates want to understand details around any extra superannuation payments, and any insurance offerings. Are there staff discounts to employees available for goods or services? Do you pay company bonuses for high performers? Some law firms make a statement about their profit distribution. They make it clear that they channel a percentage of profits back into staff development, innovation, or the community.

2.????Flexibility

The world of work has changed and a five-day week in an office-based location is virtually unheard of anymore. Are your company employees able to work from home? Maybe you have a hybrid working arrangement that is negotiable. Some law firms provide the opportunity for employees to work remotely from anywhere in the world for a few weeks a year. Some offer a nine-day fortnight. Flexibility should be tailored to an individual and can be a compelling reason for accepting a role.

3.????Leave, Leave, and More Leave

Your EVP should include an overview of leave available including annual leave, carer’s leave, and parental and family leave. Don’t forget to include any opportunities to negotiate additional leave or take volunteer leave. A candidate wants to understand that you will support them at different stages of their life and career.

4.????Your Commitment to their Career Development

Ensure that you include your career development frameworks including any opportunities for paid study, or the payment of industry memberships. Candidates are interested in knowing how you will invest in them on an ongoing basis. Are your lawyers able to continue developing their technical skills? Can they build on their business and soft skills? Are there opportunities for overseas secondments? How do you support them in completing their annual CPD requirements?

5.????Details about Diversity and Inclusivity

If your organisation is on a journey to become more diverse and inclusive, include these details here. You might have oversight committees or a commitment to pay equality and candidates are very interested in this information. These details can make the difference between coming to work for you or a competitor.

6.????Location and Facilities

Where once the flagship company headquarters represented prestige and credibility, this has changed somewhat post Covid-19. Potential employees are now keen to discover whether the company offices are set up for online and remote meetings and work. They want to know whether they can be socially distant and yet still have all the bells and whistles expected in a law firm. Include details about how sustainable and environmentally friendly your organisation is as this can be a key differentiating factor for some candidates.

7.????In-house Referral Programs

Do you have one? Include any details about what happens if they refer a friend or colleague to work for you. Maybe you reward them financially or donate to a charity of their choosing.

8.????Community Involvement

Now more than ever, candidates are concerned about how the organisation they represent adds value to both local and global communities. Do you offer pro-bono opportunities? Are you playing a part in your community with sponsorship programs? Are there causes or charities that your business supports? Your employees want to know that they are giving back and making a positive impact on the world.

9.????Company Values

Always include the company values and mission statement. Candidates review these closely to ensure that they align with their own personal values.

10.?Employee Wellbeing

Describe your organisations commitment to employee health and wellbeing. Include an overview of any employee assistance programs. Are there mental health resources available? Do you pay or subsidise gym memberships? All this information is compared by potential candidates when weighing up competing offers.

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Making your organisation stand out to potential employees is vitally important in our current market for talent. The shortage of candidates and high volume of demand is making competing for talent tougher than ever. By making it clear and simple to understand, you take some of the hard work out of comparing offers and firms. You also make it clear the type of person you want to attract and retain and that you are prepared to invest in impressing them. If you need help understanding further what candidates are looking for, then reach out as my team of legal industry specialist recruiters can help. We all talk to candidates all day long!

Should you need help recruiting talented legal professionals for your business, or a confidential career discussion get in touch at [email protected]. At Legal People we are specialists in the Legal Industry. We recruit Lawyers, Support staff and HR professionals in Melbourne, Australia.

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Bio: Sharon Henderson is a Legal Recruitment specialist, Partner and heads up the Lawyer and Management & HR divisions of Legal People, a leading specialist legal recruitment agency. To browse our currently available roles click here.