As organisations navigate the “new normal” in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, one thing is consistent across all sectors: uncertainty.
Unfortunately no one has a crystal ball, so the extent of the impact that COVID-19 will have on the economy, and particularly on in-house legal teams, remains to be seen. However, as the number of unexpected projects and legal issues rise and personnel numbers dwindle or remain static under headcount freezes, it is clear that there will be an increased burden carried by already lean in-house legal teams.
So, how can organisations ease the burden and attract talent during a hiring freeze?
One solution is legal contractors. According to Linda Grace, Director of Orbit:
“Contractors present many advantages to businesses in the current environment, particularly when they’re pre-vetted, highly-skilled and experienced at working remotely.”
Using contractors reduces many financial obligations that come with a permanent headcount. Some are obvious: annual leave, personal leave, long service or other leave payments.
Contractors also do not attract a number of other on-costs: superannuation, workers compensation, payroll, time for professional development, practicing certificates and professional indemnity insurance, employee entitlements, mobile phones etc. Another less obvious cost is the overhead allocation usually charged to the legal team for permanent headcount. This is generally calculated on the basis of headcount and can be as high as 30-40% of total salary cost.
Particular to Orbit, there are also no sign-on or recruitment fees.
Contractors bring flexibility. In a fluctuating economy, the key to an organisation’s survival is a workforce which is agile and adaptable in an unstable environment.
An employer can effectively turn a contractor off and on depending on workload or the skills required for a particular project or matter, and terminate without risk of redundancy or the need to performance manage.
In an environment where time and resources are already stretched, by far the greatest advantage of engaging Orbit is leaving the heavy lifting of recruitment with us. We save you time and money while delivering a high quality resource. Our recruitment process ensures we work with quality lawyers who are adept at contracting and able to work in a variety of environments.
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In our experience, each role is different. That’s why we work in consultation with our clients to find the right solution to their resourcing needs.
If you’re looking for a flexible and practical legal resourcing solution on an unexpected project or a temporary gap in your legal team, contact Greg Monks for a confidential conversation on how Orbit can work for you.
Greg Monks
Head of Orbit
Phone: +61 3 9672 3187
Email: [email protected]
