Staffing efficiencies and recruiting strategies in a COVID-19 world

Introduction

In this involuntary age of change, the Information Governance (“IG”) practitioner must consider how to evolve in the profession. This includes having the flexibility to work remotely and the ability to adapt to a mixed state of remote and “in-the-office” work to best support their firms. Staff must remain vigilant in their pursuit to remain valuable to the firm taking into account on-premises staffing in most office locations will become less essential over time.

Working remotely presents substantial opportunities to realize increased efficiencies and economies of scale through centralization and the deployment of functional teams to support broader service delivery. Enhanced business processes and expanded skill sets, relying on technologies that support increased digitization, are key to supporting these changes. Finally, firms must attract a more technically skilled and educated IG Practitioner. This approach will become the model of the future.

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Opportunities for efficiency with a mix of remote vs. on-premises staff

The 2020 global pandemic has led to dynamic and rapid changes in today’s workforce. We believe that IG is at the forefront of working in this new reality. The almost instant transition to a remote, distributed workplace has aggressively shifted organizational focus to a reliance on digital documents, matter workspaces and technology for client service and remote work support. It has required management to hastily come up with new strategies and embrace new tools to support our clients, manage staff and keep them productive and motivated. This new reality is an opportunity for law firms to harness the benefits of a solid IG program.

Many roles under the IG umbrella can be performed in a remote work environment. Other roles, such as a Records Clerk may need to be onsite to manage physical files personally, whether in a full or part-time capacity. Work volume and the firm’s level of desired support should dictate the decision as to staff location. When onsite, all staff should follow mandated safety protocols related to the current pandemic.