Osborne Clarke has adopted a “sit anywhere, work anywhere” policy in its new Thames Valley office.

The firm’s lawyers have been working open plan and flexibly since 2001, but the new “connected approach” means they will no longer have an allocated desk and can work anywhere.

The approach means all desks will need to be cleared at the end of day, making staff less reliant on paper in the workplace.

“Before we moved offices in Reading, everyone had an allocated desk,” said head of organisational development Barry Gipson. “But as we instigated the move, it gave us all the more reason to think about new ways of working and how it would work in practice.”

Gibson said the new way of working had enabled the firm to make the most of the space and save costs. The amount of square footage occupied by Osborne Clarke has gone down, while the amount of client space has increased, as Reading becomes more of a hub for international clients travelling to the UK.

The changes mean there will now be fewer desks in the Reading office compared to the number of full-time staff. However, Gipson, who has been heavily involved in the eight-month long project and discussions with staff, said this was not an issue.

“It’s not a problem if all the desks are taken up, as you can just go and sit in the café or meeting areas,” he said. “It wasn’t an imposed thing and we also have a lot of touch-down desks for visitors that can be used.”

There are currently no plans to adopt the new working policy in Osborne Clarke’s other offices in the UK, although it could be an option if the structure takes off.

“All the initial signs are pleasing,” said Gipson. “I think there is an appetite for moving other offices in this direction, but we need to sit down with those lawyers to talk through their needs.”

Osborne Clarke follows a whole host of firms to have announced a mixture of agile and flexible working options. US firms Shearman & Sterling, White & Case and Mayer Brown recently announced agile working policies this year, with Macfarlanes revealing a new flexible working scheme and Foot Anstey piloted “warm-desking” last year.

Source: Industry News