Top Biglaw Rolls Out In-Office Tracking Tool, And Associates Are Pissed — But They Shouldn’t Be

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With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, many Biglaw firms are now expecting their associates to be working from the office, at least four days each week. Some firms have yet to take the leap and make such a mandate, but instead, they’ve put technology into place that will track associates to see who is in the office, and perhaps most importantly, where.

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This happened recently at Goodwin Procter, where the firm rolled out a new system called “Colleague Connect.” Though the firm — which brought in $2,211,469,000 gross revenue in 2022, putting it at No. 13 on the Am Law 100 — intended to use the program to “enhance the way we interact with each other, making our office communication more efficient and productive,” many associates weren’t immediately on board, with some referring to the implementation of the technology as a Big Brother-esque invasion of privacy.

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In fairness to Goodwin Procter, most, if not all, firms are already tracking their associates’ office attendance thanks to card swipes — this new system is just allowing people to see where people are located. In fact, we here at Above the Law once called a system like this the way to “manag[e] the hybrid office of the future.” The firm entered into this new office management model with the best intentions, telling the American Lawyer that the firm remains “committed to continuing to improve the hybrid work experience for all members of the Goodwin community.”

Here are some additional details from Am Law:

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Goodwin explained some of the thinking behind the rollout of Colleague Connect.

“For extra flexibility, we are able to vary our individual schedules on a weekly basis,” the firm said in a statement. “Our people have noted that our flexible model means they do not always know when colleagues are in the office, on different floors for example. To address this, we designed Colleague Connect to make it easier for us to connect with each other in-person on any particular day when we are working from a Goodwin office. Because Colleague Connect is designed to facilitate in-person collaboration, it provides a snapshot only of who is an office that particular day.”

One supportive Goodwin associate said, “Honestly, I appreciate this, it’s always a pain to figure out who is in when I’m in.” We suspect there are even more associates who feel the same way.

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Though associates may be wary of the firm’s implementation of this system thanks to its recent history of outright and stealth layoffs, let’s look at this through rose-colored glasses: this shouldn’t be seen as a burden, but as a benefit. Goodwin is embracing its flexible attendance model and offering associates new ways to connect with their colleagues while they’re working in the office. This is good for morale, and it might just make associates happier about being in the office if they have a simple way to find their friends.

Good Business or Big Brother? In-Office Tracking is a Contentious Subject and Messaging Matters [American Lawyer]

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Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Biglaw, Colleague Connect, Goodwin Procter, Hybrid Work Policies, Office Attendance Mandates, Technology