Midlands and South Eastern-based chambers Cornwall Street Barristers has launched a hybrid working policy that will allow staff to benefit from a better balance between home and office life.

With immediate effect, Cornwall Street will support staff to work flexibly, splitting their time between working remotely and from chambers as best fits their personal circumstances and which also meets the needs of barristers and clients.

Chief Executive James Farmer said: “We recognise that our staff do not necessarily need to be physically in chambers full-time to be productive and to provide the best possible service to our members and to our clients.

“The pandemic has shown us that people are able to be just as efficient working from home as they are from a fixed office location given the right set-up, equipment and support from chambers. Our staff tell us they also value the increased time with family and friends, more time for hobbies and less hours spent commuting that come with working more flexibly. This policy is a result of that feedback and of our commitment to the mental and physical health and wellbeing of our people.”

Each member of staff that requests to work in a hybrid fashion will have a bespoke agreement with the set for their own specific arrangements but most expect to be splitting their time roughly half and half between home and chambers.

Cornwall Street’s detailed policy sets out the guidelines and conditions for hybrid working arrangements covering health and safety, data protection, cyber security, equipment, insurance and the parameters of hybrid working arrangements.

“We want to continue to invest in the training and development of staff and to encourage collaborative working, creativity and the positive team ethos that we have at Cornwall Street,” continued James. “That’s easier to achieve when people are physically working together which is why we will continue to have a minimum number of staff working from chambers every day. By offering a choice of spending some of the working week working from home – or at another remote location – we hope to be able to offer the best of both worlds for staff.”