We were very grateful to be invited by our friends at BigHand to attend a really excellent meeting of the Legal Resource Managers Network at their HQ last Thursday (7 March). Our co-chair Concetta Dalziel and membership and partnerships lead James Smither presented briefly before a lively and very positive round-table discussion about how we can all support neurodivergent colleagues at all levels in solicitor firms.
We learned a lot about Resource Management and jointly concluded that RMs can play a very important and beneficial role in #neuroinclusion; for example:
🤝 Where neurodivergence is disclosed, helping normalise this and supporting with requested accommodations - including integrating these into individuals' work profiles in software platforms for resource allocation, where this helps avoid the need to keep having the same conversation in different seats or matter teams.
🤝 Supporting efforts to make inclusion the baseline for everyone, ready to disclose or not - for example, by holding inclusive meetings and having open conversations about communication preferences.
🤝 Showing and advocating for compassion and patience where someone is struggling - perhaps to be 'visible' and resourced onto projects in the first place, or with their deadlines or output. Everyone who has made it into a law firm is highly capable, and there may be an underlying reason why they are experiencing difficulties.
If your firm has a neurodiversity network and a resource manager team, we highly recommend connecting them for a conversation if they're not already acquainted! Getting neuro-inclusion right is like a jigsaw puzzle, and RMs are definitely an important piece in that equation.
Thank you Vanessa Jerrom, Alex Tring and Hannah Bryant for having us and we're looking forward to working with you all more in the future. We also really appreciate the mindful efforts made in organising the event, including an excellent information pack shared with all attendees in advance 🙏
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The BigHand Resource Management team and members of the Legal RM Network had an insightful evening last night learning about what Resource Managers can do to improve the experience of neurodivergent employees within the legal sector and where technology can play a part.
Huge thank you to our speakers from the Legal Neurodiversity Network (LNN), Concetta Dalziel and James Smither. Special thanks to Connie for being so open about her journey.
Here were a few tips to come out of the evening:
➡️ Hold inclusive meetings: Include agenda items and be conscious to stick to allocated timeframes.
➡️ Think about how you communicate – different styles and channels work for different minds.
➡️ Keep a record of preferences and reasonable adjustments within BigHand Resource Management technology (or equivalent resourcing system).
Above all, the overarching message from the LNN was to be kind and mindful, making inclusivity the default.
#legalneurodiversitynetwork #neurodiversity #legalevent #resourcemanagement
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