Flexibility A 'Necessity, Not A Perk'

WORKLIFE

Flexibility a 'necessity, not a perk'

Carol Kleiman
July 12, 2005

"I believe the family comes first," said Mark McNabola, attorney with the Chicago law firm of Cogan & McNabola PC, which specializes in personal injury and medical malpractice.

That's quite a statement coming from a founding partner of a law firm: In legal circles, lawyers are expected to be on the job every minute to bring in the big bucks--and in order to become a partner.

But McNabola's firm, which has 20 employees, is truly family friendly:

"Being able to spend time with your kids is more of a way of life than a policy," said the attorney, who is married and has four children. "Flexibility in the workday is a necessity, not a perk. ... In order to run a successful business, women and men with families need time to do family things. ... We have created an environment that welcomes working parents and encourages commitment to family."

The lawyer says he enjoys "spending mornings with my kids and getting them off to school before coming to the office. Being a parent makes you work harder--you want to get things done so you can get home to play ball or goof around with the little guys."

At the few law firms that do offer a modicum of flexibility, the option of flexible hours usually applies only to professional staff. But at Cogan & McNabola, flexibility applies to everyone:
Secretaries are permitted to work flexible hours so that they can have a job and a life.