b'Local Government Lawyer 5deteriorated (26%) during lockdown.Table 2: Overall, do you feel that the quality of your work output has. (General survey)One big factor in this improved perception of work-life balance is the lack of commute, which apparently almost nobody is missing.Improved compared to when youI have more time in my day. I am less tired,worked in the office 28%said one. Not having to travel to work is a huge benefit and means I feel more energised, said another.For lawyers, another advantage of homeStayed the same 51%working is (children permitting) the ability to work in peace.It has been a dream working from home!Suffered vs. when you worked in 17%said one respondent I get so much morethe officedone and some peace and quiet!Not applicable as have alwaysworked subtantially from home 4%Even with four childrenprior to the lockdownin the house I have found0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%there are fewer distractions Table 3: To what extent have each of the following been an issue since you started working from home? than working in an office (General survey)The regular surveys by Local GovernmentLack of appropriate technology 19% 42% 39%Lawyer in the Legal Department of the FutureIsolaon/lack of movaon 18% 40% 42%series have consistently found that the open plan office space that most lawyers areLack of face to face client contact 12% 39% 48%increasingly required to work in has serious implications for productivity and is generallyWorking successfully as a team 9% 38% 53%disliked.Even with four children in the houseMiscommunicaon or insucient 9% 32% 59%I have found there are fewer distractionscommunicaonthan working in an office, said one localLack of management direcon/supervision 9% 25% 67%government lawyer.This goes some way to explain why, despiteGeng to grips with new technology 7% 42% 51%the sudden implementation of the lockdown, the survey found that productivity has forMajor issue Minor issue Not an issuemost remained at least stable and, in many cases, has improved (Table 2). More than half of respondents (51%) said the quality of theirclosed and for those with children or otherday and it feels like a jail sentence.work was unaffected while 28% said that itcaring responsibilities, lockdown was aMore generally, the key concern is the had improved, compared with 17% who saiddifferent story. blurring between work and home life that that it had suffered. The workload has stayed the same butworking from home inevitably creates, Likewise, (when asked in a seperatechildcare responsibilities whilst schoolsespecially at a time when workloads for question) to estimate the quantity of workare closed is making the balancing actmany legal departments have risen as a being achieved at home when compared withstressful and meaning some late nights/veryconsequence of Covid-19 and budgets are the office, overall respondents said that theyearly mornings to fit work in, noted oneunder further pressure.were producing an average of 97% of theirrespondent. The fundamental flaw with Working from pre-lockdown output. Some said that they hadLikewise, some of those that live aloneHome, is that in these lockdown conditions increased their output by as much as 50%.have found the isolation more difficult. Iit soon becomes Living at Work, said one Where output had fallen, this was put down toam clinically vulnerable and normally havelawyer. The added complication of office slow technology, childcare responsibilities oradjustments in the office; I live alone, havephones being forwarded to personal mobiles delays in the court system. been very isolated and am in a small flat someans that you are never away from the very difficult to manage working from homeoffice.Dealing with the downsides on big files and without the usual resourcesWhen asked which specific problems were For all of the positive experiences, remoteand my team around me. This would haveencountered with remote working, two stand working has its downsides too. In the initialbeen OK if it lasted two months but it isouta lack of technology and the isolation months of the lockdown, schools remaineddragging on and on. I am in my flat 23 hours aof it (Table 3). However, even these were'