Employees at a quarterly off-site event where they can share feedback on the long-term strategic direction at Litco Law.Provided
Christina Rotheisler remembers how quickly her employer, Litco Law, leapt into action after a colleague suggested a change that could improve the company’s internal processes. “All of a sudden it was being moved up, people were asking them questions and we were hearing from the business and technology teams about getting the change implemented,” says Rotheisler, a client experience coach.
“I’ve never worked anywhere like this,” she says. “People here don’t just say things, talk about them and let it linger — they really put them into action if it makes sense.”
Chris Beatty, president of the Alberta-based law firm, says it’s just one way the company tries to empower its employees through its culture of freedom and responsibility.
Employees are given the freedom within their role to determine the best work setup and work-life balance for them and to take the initiative if they see opportunities to help and support clients, or improve internal processes. All employees have a company credit card with no approval mechanism in place, so they can quickly purchase a birthday cake or flowers for a client, Beatty says. In turn, employees – which the firm calls its “A players” – have the responsibility of meeting the company’s clear performance expectations.
“We’re 100-per-cent transparent about making sure everybody’s on the same page of where we’re trying to go, everybody knows the critical items in their role that they need to deliver,” he says. “We try to give everybody the freedom to go about doing that in terms of how to resolve problems for clients.”
Rotheisler says it’s one of the best aspects of working at the law firm. She points out that given Litco Law’s areas of practice – which include personal injury, real estate, employment, and wills and estate law – clients are often in the midst of stressful events when they walk in the door.
“I think that as far as improvement goes and caring for clients, at other firms it may feel like you’re fighting that battle for clients alone but that’s just not the case here,” she says. “It’s nice to be able to surprise them with something they might not expect, so they leave here feeling better than they came in.”
Litco Law goes out of its way to keep its A players happy so they’re motivated to go the extra mile for clients, Beatty says. The firm holds quarterly off-site events where employees are invited to have a say on the company’s long-term strategic direction and has numerous “people initiatives” like diversity, equity and inclusion education sessions and flex spending accounts. It also invests significantly into professional training programs – including proprietary online programs and sending employees to McGill University for manager training – and internal mobility.
“The vast majority of our leaders came up through the business and this is an area we believe strongly in and invest in every single day,” he says. “That’s a big part of the future of the business.”
Rotheisler has benefited personally. When she started at Litco Law two years ago as a client experience specialist, her role was dedicated to making the office experience unique for clients, particularly in the firm’s “lounges” – Litco Law’s version of waiting rooms. Recently, the company created her current role for her, giving her the opportunity to think strategically about the firm’s client experience approach and to grow and develop the company’s team of lounge hosts.
“The firm is awesome at listening to the passions and skillsets of team members and helping them get to where they need to go,” she says. “I haven’t experienced that anywhere else.”
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