We have a responsibility to be open with people about their career prospects at Linklaters. Part of the deal is to make sure those people who decide to continue their career outside the firm build up a great CV and become positive alumni. We believe the key to this is regular, honest feedback and open discussion.
In practice
Giving feedback
To make sure open communication starts from the top, partners are offered professional training and coaching to give feedback constructively. To date 153 partners from 18 offices have taken part.
Appraisals
We have annual and mid-year appraisals for everyone in the firm. Partners can also obtain 360° feedback and, in 2007, 79% of partners did just that. Potential partners receive upward feedback from peers and juniors, which is then considered in their candidature for election as partner.
One-to-one coaching
As our people reach key stages in their careers, they can get coaching from one of our 40 trained internal coaches, plus additional work-based development opportunities.
Positive alumni
We have 2,500 alumni registered globally, with 75% of leavers signing up to join when they leave the firm.
Listening to our people
In April 2008, everyone in business services was invited to complete a survey to identify what we need to do to create a high performance culture. The response rate was very good, with over 70% responding in total.
The results were both encouraging and helpful. For example, 85% of those responding told us they were proud to work for Linklaters, and 83% said there were opportunities to develop new skills within their role. On the other hand, opportunities were identified to improve career development, performance management and communications. We are now putting together a plan to make these changes happen.