Appreciating that heavy workload combined with challenges of remote working is affecting its people, Sorainen has adopted a string of measures to help employees cope, from shortened workdays to free counselling.
No strings attached on Friday afternoons this Summer
“We have decided to offer all colleagues the opportunity to take half Fridays off this Summer – June, July and August,” commented managing partner Laimonas Skibarka. He added that the need rose from the fact that almost all legal and tax teams are showing record activity which in turn means a soaring number of working hours for lawyers and other staff. “Our team is working hard on helping our countries and the economy recover from the impact of the pandemic by helping our clients succeed in business. At the same time, quality rest and the ability to plug off after a workday are key elements of keeping high energy in our team, and in turn, delivering top quality services to our clients,” Skibarka noted.
The new policy will serve as a “no strings” possibility to take additional time off, rest over the weekend, helping to keep stress levels at bay and improve wellbeing.
Flexible work is here to stay
We have also decided to promote flexible working also after the pandemic subsides.
Our team has been working almost exclusively remotely for a year, with the option already in place since 2019, including colleagues working from Paris, London, Moscow and Switzerland. After the pandemic retreats, we will continue with the flexible working solutions and give colleagues the chance to choose how and from where they work. Of course, our offices in Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius and Minsk will continue to be opened during regular office hours and we will be available for clients who prefer physical meetings.
We will also offer all colleagues additional monetary compensations to help them purchase comfortable home office solutions.
Focus on wellbeing
Wellbeing of our people and, in particular, mental and physical health are among top priorities this year. Already since the Spring of 2020 we have been offering all our international team members a chance to turn to mental health professionals for consultations. This year we are expanding initiatives to support the wellbeing of our staff.
“Even without the pandemic people can feel overwhelmed or stressed, the pandemic has only amplified this. With mental and physical health being a key factor in everyone’s quality of life, we are proactively offering our team various initiatives as well as the opportunity to get support beyond their peers when they feel it necessary,” explained chief operating officer Leda Iržikevičienė.
