Articles From the Team

Back to school blues

I'm sure this is a genuine medical condition suffered by both children and parents alike. Whilst symptoms vary, both tend to suffer increasing levels of anxiety the closer it gets to the first day of term. Children pale at the mere thought of losing their sense of freedom and the impending loom of homework and bedtimes. Parents go clammy and hyperventilate at the thought of juggling work with the school drop off/pick up. Extreme cases of back to school blues can be particularly virulent in parents with multiple children attending multiple schools/nurseries. Parents literally trying (and failing) to be in two different places at the same time are left traumatised and in need of treatment which I have found needs to be administered quickly in the form of a stiff gin and tonic in order to numb the pain and restore heart rate to normal levels. A double dose normally hits the spot!

As legal recruiter with over 15 years experience, the last 5 (and a half!) of which spent juggling said job and parenthood, I feel I am qualified to offer a suitable antidote to these back to school blues. There is only one cure.....An employer offering flexible working.

I have this, here at BCL Legal where I specialise in residential conveyancing recruitment in the East Midlands and Northern Home Counties. My back to school blues, whilst palpable, is manageable having worked out a schedule similar to a military operation that any Royal Marine would be proud of. But do you have this luxury?

Lancaster University’s Work Foundation produced a report predicting flexible working will be the main way of working for 70 per cent of organisations by 2020. This seems like light years away as a recent article in the Guardian stated that fewer than one in 10 decently paid job vacancies in the UK mention flexible working options. With an estimated 14.1 million people in Britain wanting flexibility in their working hours or location, it seems the search for a unicorn may be easier.

As an experienced legal recruiter engaging with numerous law firms all looking to recruit, we strongly advocate that offering flexible working significantly improves talent attraction and retention. It's all about the win/win. We're best placed to help you find that dream job offering flexible working. We're here to help you find your unicorn!

For a confidential discussion please call Joanne Lack 0121 237 5610/07891 691 742 or email joannelack@bcllegal.com