Articles From the Team
Looking after your own
I really like my job. I genuinely enjoy coming to work every day. Well maybe not everyday, nobody surely does because on some days you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or you just feel a little bit grumpy. Perhaps you didn’t get enough sleep or your partner/wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/kids etc have done something to annoy you which simply puts you in a bad mood! Notice how I didn’t mention pets, I don’t think my dogs or cats (or pigs or chickens) have ever done anything to make me grumpy. Anyway, I digress. The point is I really like my job! It’s genuinely interesting, challenging and fun. The life of a recruiter, let alone a specialist legal recruiter, is never the same two days in a row. This keeps me on my toes and keeps me engaged. I like to feel the rush, I like to feel alive! Honestly, I really like my job.
If you scroll through your newsfeed on LinkedIn and sometimes on Facebook as well, you often find motivational quotes. It’s usually something written in a cursive script with an appealing background. Some amongst are quite cynical (I can be at times) and actually find these a little bit annoying. But actually, a lot of them ring true. I don’t think you can use them as a mantra for your career or your daily work, but some can make rather valid points while others are more poignant than the rest. I think there is a lot of truth in saying that happy workers are productive workers. These days, the stars aren’t out of reach. Businesses all over the world offer their employees fantastic incentives; some of these are more financially focussed while others are more personal and more often than not, while money is important and in many cases is a significant driver, feeling that you are valued by your employer and that you’re being looked after at the hands of the business is invaluable. I don’t have to look far to see evidence of this.Across our business the senior management take great strides to make sure we are all looked after. I’m not talking about the money, if you work hard you will be rewarded, that’s a given in any business. I’m talking about the personal touches. This comes in numerous forms, from colleagues having adjusted hours to account for childcare, to being able to work from home at short notice due to changes in circumstances and so on; (the company holiday we just went on was rather glorious too but I will save the details for another blog…) This is all part of BCL Legal’s values; values that we stick to not only for our own success but also to make sure that we are acting in the best interests of our candidates and clients.
These values are reflected amongst many of our clients, both in private practice and in-house. I specialise in commercial property in Birmingham city centre which means the majority of my clients are large national and international legal practices. There is a stigma floating around that there is very little support and no flexibility when it comes to personal circumstances in the commercial legal profession. I’m here to tell you that that’s not true! Every day I see firms making changes to accommodate the personal circumstances of candidates, from interview all the way through to offer. This is because you (the candidate) are valuable not just in your skills and expertise but in the personality you can bring to the team.
It’s not unreasonable to want to be happy at work. If you are unhappy that’s terribly unfortunate, but you can change this. We’re here to help! Our job isn’t just to place you in another job; we take the time to understand the situation and offer advice and guidance to help you make the right choice for a long, happy and successful career; regardless of whether you’re a paralegal, NQ, associate, senior associate, principal associate, director or partner BCL Legal can help you find the happy place. For more information please contact Gishan Abeyratne or visit our website BCL Legal.