Trust and the extra milex
Our strategy is built around three strategic elements – profitable growth, client relationships, and engagement. The Reporter spoke to Chief People Officer Jennifer Philpot to find out what engagement means, how we’re building it across the Firm and how you can get the most from it.
Engagement is absolutely vital to achieving our goals, but it’s not just about initiatives and what we do as an organization. Chief People Officer Jennifer Philpot says: “Essentially, engagement is your gift to the Firm. It is the trust you placed in us when you chose to begin or further your career at White & Case.
“It is your willingness to work hard and go the extra mile to deliver exceptional client service, day in and day out. It is the confidence you placed in the future we’re building together and what that means to your career.
“And if the time comes to say goodbye in favor of the next phase of your professional and personal life, it is the relationships and experiences you take with you as a friend of the Firm.”
So how are we as a firm building a truly engaged organization? Jennifer says: “To ensure engagement is at its highest, we need to make strides in four key areas: the job, our culture, communication and conversation, and reward and recognition.”
The job
“Satisfied (engaged) associates and Business Services professionals know clearly what is expected from them every day at work – and they have the right supervision, time, tools and training to do the job well.
“They are looking for opportunities to work on matters and with clients that will help them stretch and grow. They are bringing their talents, knowledge and skills into the workplace and are teaming with others to get the job done, to grow the business, and in doing so, develop their own careers.”
Our culture
“It is important to create a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment where we all feel able to be ourselves and deliver our best every day, an environment where there are opportunities to contribute, whether it’s leading a taskforce, running a practice, recruiting for the next generation, or giving of our time to the communities where we live and work.
“We want you to feel confident in our direction and leadership, to share in the Firm’s success.”
“A successful firm is fueled by communication.”
Communication and conversation
“A successful firm is fueled by communication. Are we creating an open dialogue? Do you understand our strategy and your role in delivering it? Does the Firm know what you want and need for your career? Do you have access to partners and leadership who can answer your questions and guide you in the right direction?
“Do you know what opportunities are available and what is expected of you? Are you having regular conversations about your performance, potential, and progression? Are you listening to others and providing feedback so that they can continue to develop?”
Reward and recognition
“This goes beyond salary and benefits and is about ensuring you feel recognized, appreciated and celebrated.
“It includes making sure you have the time off to recuperate, and that together we are creating a culture where excellence is acknowledged, our wins are celebrated and we don’t forget to say ‘thank you’ for a job well done.”
Bringing our vision to life by 2020
The Firm needs to excel in all of these four areas for everyone to be fully engaged and giving their best, so what are our engagement priorities between now and 2020?
Jennifer says: “First and foremost, it’s about delivering on our employee-value proposition (EVP) – clearly articulating the value of a career at White & Case, what you can expect from the Firm and what we expect from you in return.”
Engagement: this is the whole engagement piece, including the engagement surveys and feedback initiatives that many of you have participated in to help us understand how we’re doing and what we could do better as leaders and as an organization.
Recruitment: rethinking our current recruitment strategy, how and where we attract and engage millennials, and how we more effectively identify, assess and ‘onboard’ associates and Business Services professionals.
Learning and development: driving a more personalized approach to training, on-the-job experience, and coaching. Bringing to life how we manage our business more profitably, develop great client relationships, and more effectively work together, manage and lead others.
Mobility: ensuring we are able to move the right people to serve our clients wherever you are needed, enabling you to have the global experiences you need to further your career.
Diversity and inclusion: ensuring we value and work to have diversity in all its many forms at every level of the organization and helping us appreciate how we benefit from a more self-aware and inclusive workplace.
Our benefits philosophy: offering a more consistent and inclusive choice of benefits to support you in your career goals and lifestyle requirements at work and at home, so that you can bring your best self to work.
Everyone plays their part in engagement
So what do we need from you? A wise man (Aristotle) once said: ‘We are what we repeatedly do; excellence then, is not an act, but a habit’.
“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
ARISTOTLE
In order to make this a reality for White & Case, we ask for your energy and enthusiasm, your commitment to team with others, and your courage to lead.
“We ask you to take the time to make yourself heard, and in turn, have the courtesy to listen,” says Jennifer. “We ask you to speak up to highlight the opportunities and the issues, and then to volunteer to be part of the solution.
“We ask you to notice what needs doing, step up, raise your hand, and take action.
“We ask you to recruit, to take the time to refer a friend, join a campus team, be part of an interview panel, or simply take a candidate to lunch.
“We ask you to be part of our summer, trainee, or referendar programs, onboarding and training the next generation of White & Case associates.
“We ask you to continue to raise your hand for pro bono, community service and acts of charitable giving.
“We ask you to notice when your colleague needs a helping hand, a word of encouragement, or simply acknowledgment for a job well done.”
In return, White & Case will continue to open doors to relationships and experiences around the world that will help you build your career wherever it takes you.
Jennifer says: “You may already be working and acting in the belief that we can and will make this firm a better place for all of us to work and build a career, and if so, I’d like to say thank you.
“For those of you who have not yet rolled up your sleeves, what are you waiting for? Join us. Together we can make a difference.”
“For those of you who have not yet rolled up your sleeves, what are you waiting for?”
