We met up with Ralph Gilbert at Rollits to find out how the law firm supports the wellbeing of its employees.
“We are by nature a people business,” said Ralph as we began our chat. “Without our people we are absolutely nothing, so there’s a rich and warm reason for being a people business.”
This sentiment perfectly set the scene for what would be an insightful discussion about how Rollits supports both its own people and the wider community. A leading law firm that’s gone from strength to strength over the last 180 years, Rollits is a powerful example of how businesses can involve their employees in a wide range of wellbeing activity and corporate social responsibility projects.
“Keeping staff happy makes perfect sense,” continued Ralph. “Aside from the fact that it creates a more enjoyable working environment, it also means that everyone is fully engaged with their work, which benefits the business and our clients. A happier workforce is directly linked to greater productivity, more efficient workflow and better client service, which is why we place so much focus on supporting our people both professionally and personally.”
Ralph told us that Rollits recently held a session with the Partners that asked the question What does success look like?
“During this session, one of the building blocks that we all agreed on was a happy, contented and engaged workforce, as without that everything falls apart,” said Ralph. “It creates the right workplace culture and is part and parcel of being a responsible employer. We believe that involving our people in the planning of our CSR activity and social events gives them ownership and opens a platform for valuable discussion.”
This formation of an Employee Forum has led to amazing things at Rollits. The initial idea was that it would allow staff to choose how they would socialise outside of the office, such as barbecues and nights out, but has resulted in so much more.
“A lot of people came back to us and said they wanted to do more such as charitable fundraising and environmental activities,” explained Ralph. “One suggestion was to organise a litter-pick on a beach, which highlights how invested our staff are in supporting the community, worthy causes and the environment.”
Representatives of the entire workforce at Rollits regularly come together to discuss potential activity, ranging from bake sales in aid of charity to one-off events that allow them to express their creativity and passion.
“Our current charity of the year for the Hull office is Hull 4 Heroes, and this was chosen by all our staff. Our employees are very happy to raise cash through various activities and we give them the opportunity to plan what they do, where and how. Our role is to facilitate and encourage people to come up with ideas, allocate a budget to enable them to happen, and ensure that everyone is working together.”
As well as giving staff the freedom to decide which charities will be put in the spotlight, Rollits also provides a range of mental health resources to ensure that everyone feels safe, supported and happy in their roles.
“We offer tools and guidance, create multiple opportunities to connect with one another, and promote both exercise and rest,” said Ralph. “We also recently invited resilience coach Josh Connolly to speak to the whole firm – it was a very inspiring session about how to deal with high-pressure scenarios and stay in control of our individual wellbeing.
“We’ve also made sure that new starters who joined us during the remote working period of the pandemic were made to feel welcome and part of the team despite the challenges in meeting up that we have all faced.
“The Partners at Rollits very much work with our staff and we make sure to break down barriers. We don’t use the “us and them” mentality as it’s counterproductive – it’s a team effort all the way.”
To find out how Rollits supports charities and not-for-profit organisations from a legal services perspective, please visit their Charities page.