Staff at Dickinson Dees don't have to rely on the old-fashioned suggestion box to get their views heard.
Innovation meetings take place for employees to put forward ideas for improvement, and client care workshops have been held in the past year to look at ways to improve the delivery of client services. In our survey, about three-quarters of staff say they believe they can make a valuable contribution to the success of the organisation.
The firm has been run by five generations of Dickinsons for 200 years. Today the company has 688 members of staff with 65 partners and is the largest regionally-based law firm in the northeast of England.
In the past year, the company has spent £365,000 on formal off-the-job training, which averages £530 per employee. Development needs are discussed at annual appraisals and, in addition, the firm has mechanisms in place for individuals to request training during the course of the year. According to our survey, 77% of employees feel managers support them when they need to learn new skills.
About 70% of staff members are happy with the balance between home and work life, a top 20 score among the 100 best companies and notable in the legal world with its traditional long-hours culture. Most roles within the firm allow for some form of flexibility. In addition, the company has an occupational health support programme in place to assist with health issues and provides staff, as well as their families, with free confidential employee assistance.
Staff are entitled to a number of interesting perks including dry-cleaning and shoe repairs collected from and delivered to the office, subsidised car parking and a home computing initiative. After a year's service, the company also offers free legal services for buying or selling a house, preparing a will and (perhaps worringly!) matrimonial law.