This presentation was made by Brisbane Family Law Centre Director, Clarissa Rayward, on behalf of the Queensland Law Society. Clarissa was asked to present on this topic as a result of her experience owning and operating two small businesses.

1. Towards a New Work Culture
Creating & maintaining a great workplace
in these changing times
Clarissa Rayward
Accredited Family Law Specialist
Director
Brisbane Family Law Centre

2. What is a ‘Great Workplace’
“Convention dictates that a company looks after its
shareholders first, its customers next and last of all
worries about its employees. Virgin does the
opposite. For us, our employees matter most. It just
seems common sense to me that, if you start off
with a happy, well motivated workforce, you’re much
more likely to have happy customers. And in due
course, the resulting profits will make your
shareholders happy.”
Richard Branson, Founder and Chairman the Virgin Group

3. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
A hallmark of a ‘Great Workplace’ is happy and
Motivated Staff so, how do we motivate our staff to
maintain and foster a good work environment?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1gE6xKusIo&feature=email
•Gone are the days where simply having a job or a big salary
was a driver for employees.
•While this might work for some, our workforce is now, more
than ever expecting more and more from their employers.
•So, in these challenging times, how to we keep up? How do
we motivate and maintain our staff to ensure that we are
creating ‘great workplaces’

4. A ‘Great Workplace’ is created by having
happy, motivated team members
What motivates our employees?
1. Flexibility
2. A culture of Autonomy
3. New challenges
4. Ongoing career development, education and training
5. Sense of belonging to ‘The Team’

5. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
1. Flexibility
•ABS study October 2010 confirmed that of those surveyed,
over 1.1 million Queenslanders (58%) were using some sort of
flexible work arrangement.
•Those aged 15-24 years did not use flexible working
arrangements as often as their older colleagues
•14% of those surveyed wanted more work hours while 25%
wanted less work hours
•Financial reasons were the main driving force for wanting
more work hours while Lifestyle reasons were the main driver
for wanting to work fewer hours
(ABS Flexible working arrangements in Qld October 2010)

6. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
1. Flexibility- The impact of our changing workforce
•The last 50 years has seen significant change in the
demographics of the Australian workforce.
•In general, women are more likely than men to be working
part-time.
•As people move closer to retirement, they are increasingly
likely to work part-time.
•In March 2008, 15% of men aged 45 years and over were
employed part-time compared with 46% of working women in
this age group.
(ABS Health of Mature Age Workers in Australia 2004-2005)

7. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
1. Flexibility- The impact of our changing families
•For couple families in 2008, 45% of children aged 0-2 years
had both parents employed and 66% of children aged 9-12 had
both parents employed.
•For single parent families, 28% of children aged 0-2 years had
their parent employed, compared with 64% of children who
were aged 9-12 years.
•The choice to increase workforce participation once children
are older is particularly evident for employed mothers. In
couple families where the father was employed, 13% of
children aged 0-2 years had their mother employed full time,
compared with 30% of children aged 9-12 years
(ABS Australian Social Trends June 2010)

8. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
1. Flexibility- The impact of our changing families
As we try and balance careers, family and lifestyle, the demand
upon employees is becoming greater and greater.
As such, the requirement for employers to meet this demand
through creative, diverse and flexible work practices is now the
norm.
How can this work for small business?

9. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
At BFLC-
4 Solicitors
1 Chartered Accountant
5 Administrative Staff
1 Consultant Mediator
Within our team of 11 there are currently 2 staff members working usual office
hours (8.30-5pm) from the office- the balance of the workforce is currently utilising
some form of flexible work hours or part time arrangement

10. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
At BFLC-
•The need for flexibility in our workplace has increased each
year of our business
•The availability of flexibility for all staff has enabled us to
attract and retain professionals who are committed to their
careers and whose personal values mean that they are
motivated by a professional and personal life balance
•Being a small business it can be difficult to retain talent on
salary alone. Our unique and flexible workplace practices have
enabled us to compete and retain great talent in an ever
challenging talent market.

11. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
The Flexible Work Practices in use at BFLC-
1. Part time/ Flexible Work hours-
• Reduced hours during the day (ie 8am -3.30pm)
• Reduced days per week (ie 4 days per week)
• Varied start and finish times (ie 8am- 4.30pm)
• Ability to take time for family reasons and ‘make up’ at
other times through ‘overtime’ or additional hours on
other days

12. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
The Flexible Work
Practices in use at
BFLC-
2. Work from home
•Capacity for Professional Staff
to work remotely- this has been
utilised by all professional staff
primarily to enable care of
children during holiday periods
or illness

13. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
The Flexible Work Practices in use at BFLC-
3. Children at work
•We have created a ‘kids room’ at our office and staff are able
to bring children to work on days that they are unable to
source alternate care.
•Have now also set up nursery arrangement to cater for
Director and Senior Solicitor who intend to work and manage
very young children during 2012

14. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
The Flexible Work Practices in use at BFLC-
4. Flexible Leave Arrangements
•Staff are able to nominate leave around family commitments
and purchase additional leave or take leave without pay to
manage carer responsibilities including children and parents

15. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
Advantages for Employer
•Happier Employees!
•Can attract and retain talent and compete with the larger
Legal Marketplace by offering a unique workplace rather than
salary alone
•Capacity to work from home and/or bring children to work
ensures productivity can be maintained
•Maternity or other leave can be managed within professional
team using reduced hours, remote access rather than a valued
staff member having to step away for long periods

16. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
Flexible Work Practices- the practical example
Disadvantages for Employer
•Not all employees motivated by flexibility- in our experience
stage of life is a driving factor
•Boundaries need to be clear- both between employee and
employer and between employees or sense of imbalance or
‘injustice’ can be created
•Remote access or flexible work hours may not suit all
personality types. Give consideration to the type of employee
you are trying to accommodate and motivate when
considering flexible work arrangements
•Kids in the office- whilst fun- can be a
distraction and boundaries need to be clear.

17. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
2. A Culture of Autonomy
A culture of autonomy enables employees to
almost ‘self motivate’
“A sense of autonomy has a powerful effect on individual
performance and attitude.
(In the United States) researchers at Cornell University studied
320 small businesses, half of which granted workers autonomy;
the other half relied on top-down direction. The businesses
that offered autonomy grew at four times the rate of the
control-oriented firms and had one-third the employee
turnover.”
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel H. Pink, published by Riverhead Books.

18. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
2. A Culture of Autonomy
An Example- “The Google Story”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsKh7Um
pzBQ

19. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
2. A Culture of Autonomy- How do we create it?
Consider your management and leadership
style?
•Avoid micromanagement
•Provide employees a framework for their tasks ie job and time
frame however allow them to create and manage the manner
in which they complete the task
• Foster an ‘inclusive’ work environment where employees are
involved in decision making and creativity is encouraged
•Encourage all employees to feel a sense of responsibility for
their own work and to look for solutions to problems rather
than diverting to others for answers

20. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
2. A Culture of Autonomy- How do we create it?
Disadvantages for Employers-
•Cannot be applied equally to all employees- consideration
must be given to the level of experience of a staff member (for
example Junior Solicitor vs Senior Associate).
•Will not be a motivator for all personality types- some staff
will be happier with very clear boundaries and direction and
almost enjoy the security that comes from a lack of autonomy
•Important to consider the types of personalities you are hiring
if you wish to create and foster an autonomous workplace

21. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
2. A Culture of Autonomy- How do we create it?
Advantages for Employers
•Happier employees!
•Frees up Management and Leaders
•Can lead to creative and new ideas
•Employees more likely to ‘self motivate’ rather than being
pushed from above

22. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
3. New Challenges
New challenges (even for lawyers!) are essential to maintaining
a dynamic workplace
A ‘new challenge’ will be different for each and every staff
member
A Senior Practitioner who is an expert in their field may no
longer be challenged by new clients. However this practitioner
may be challenged by a new staff member- through
mentoring, teaching or even developing a new skill
A new junior receptionist may be challenged each day in
learning their new role and therefore may not require
additional ‘new’ challenges

23. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
3. New Challenges
You can feel a workplace with energy and that ‘good vibe’ just
by walking around the halls.
At BFLC we have used the ‘new challenges’ in creative out of
the box ways to both unify and motivate our team.
For example-
Annual charity pantomime
Annual Mystery Christmas Tour

24. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
3. New Challenges
Advantages for Employers
•Taking your staff out of their comfort zones will reveal much
about their personalities while also unifying your team
•At times that mood is low implementing a ‘new challenge’
often unrelated to ‘The Law’ can assist in rebuilding morale
•Ensuring that staff are provided with ample challenges in their
day to day roles is essential to maintaining employee
enthusiasm- particularly with professional staff

25. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
3. New Challenges
Disadvantages for Employers
•Not all staff will be motivated by the ‘new challenge’ concept.
Many organisations have the ‘worker bees’ who are very
content in undertaking the same tasks over and over without
challenge- that is exactly what they are after in a workplace
•Try and fit the ‘new challenge’ to the personality and allow
your autonomous worker to identify their own desire for new
challenges- staff surveys can be useful for this

26. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
4. Ongoing Development, Education and Training
A commitment in your workplace to fostering ongoing
education and training is both a motivator for staff but an
essential tool to ensure your team remains ‘on top of the pack’
CLE training for professional staff is important however
internal training and mentoring should not be overlooked
At BFLC we have implemented regular in-house team training
sessions on legal and non-legal issues to ensure that
information is exchanged and all levels of staff are always
growing their skill base

27. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
4. Ongoing Development, Education and Training
•External training can be expensive for small business. At BFLC
we have overcome this issue by joining with other local
businesses and law firms to have seminars where information
is shared
•You will find Junior Staff particularly will be seeking a
commitment from you as employers to their education and
training. This can be difficult and draining on a small business
owner. Encourage other staff, including non-professionals, to
be involved in training junior lawyers particularly as often the
secretaries and paralegals who have worked in our industry for
20 years are a wealth of knowledge of legal process

28. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
4. Ongoing Development, Education and Training
Advantages for Employers
Happier employees!
Adding value to your business- Maintains a high professional
standard of work at all ends of your firm
Knowledge sharing can enable staff transitions to be better
managed and can assist during periods of illness/ holidays etc

29. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
4. Ongoing Development, Education and Training
Disadvantages for Employers
Can be frustrating when you invest time and money in
education and training and staff move on
External training can be costly to a small business
What an employer considers important in terms of training and
education may not always align with an employees interest or
skill

30. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
5. A sense of belonging to ‘The Team’
In a ‘great’ workplace each team member is acknowledged,
appreciated and valued for what they do and how they do it.
Like a sporting team, without each player the team will not
function to its full potential
A great team will offer support both ‘up and down’ the chain
of command. The sense of ‘belonging’ is important to us all
and no less to our employees

31. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
5. A sense of belonging to ‘The Team’
How do we create that sense of belonging?
At BFLC we underwent significant growth very quickly in our
first 2 years. In the early stages it was clear amongst the team
(all 3 of us!) what our aims and objectives were and how they
were being implemented. We did not need these written
down. With only 3 people, communication between us was
almost always direct making it simple and clear where we were
going.

32. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
5. A sense of belonging to ‘The Team’
How do we create that sense of belonging?
As the firm grew it became clearer and clearer that as new
team members joined, they were not aware of the trials and
tribulations that had come before and were also not
organically aware of what it meant to work at BFLC.
As a result we set about creating the “BFLC Commitment
Statement”

33. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
5. A sense of belonging to ‘The Team’
“Individually we cannot
always be exceptional, but
together we can be an
exceptional team”

34. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
5. A sense of belonging to ‘The Team’
Advantages for Employers
•The sense of a ‘Team’ starts at the top- As a leader you must
commit or you cannot expect your team to
•Whilst a ‘commitment statement’ is great on paper you must live
by it- implementing the ethos of your business in everything you
do
•We have found our commitment statement an essential tool
when hiring new staff, resolving disputes and dealing with the
unexpected
•By involving all of your staff in decisions and idea generation you
will foster creativity, new ideas and also a sense of belonging

35. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
5. A sense of belonging to ‘The Team’
Disadvantages for Employers
•It is difficult to think of any disadvantages that come from a
unified team within a business
•It is essential that your ‘team’ allows each individual to remain
autonomous and be able to express their individuality

36. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
A few other tips...
A ‘Great Workplace’ creates conditions for people to do their
best work
Always consider your individual team members, their
personalities, strengths and stage of life. Each member of your
team will be motivated in a different way at different times.
You will gather this information by listening, talking and
sometimes by watching. Be wary of performance reviews as a
time to gauge staff motivation- consider perhaps instead an
unannounced staff survey.

37. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
A few other tips...
What else has worked for us-
•Monthly ‘Ideas Box’ prize
•Regular staff competitions- ie create a billboard slogan
•Culture of creativity- physical office environment through to
all that we do
•Celebrating success- champagne challenge, client thank you
cards, spot rewards
•A culture of openness and inclusion
•A sense of humour and fun
•Focus on fitness and health (staff gym memberships, staff
activities)

38. What CREATES a ‘Great Workplace’
A few other tips...
And Importantly-
A ‘Great workplace’ is created by the culture
and the people. Don't be afraid to say ‘enough
is enough’! The old adage ‘one rotten apple
can ruin the bunch’ is so true in small business.
And If All Else Fails....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SY8qJntO4Q&feature=email