curbing lawyer attrition by promoting shared interests
This has been a great time of transition in my family. My son had his pre-k “gradulation” last week and my eldest daughter officially moves up from elementary to middle school tomorrow. Both kids are understandably nervous about the changes that await them. They similarly express that they hope they’ll be able to find and befriend other children who share their interests. This interest-based camaraderie seems key to their sense of security and happiness in their new school life.
A conversation I recently had with a lawyer acquaintance of mine reminded me that adults also thrive on such interest-based connections. He asked me what I thought of affinity groups like the ones his Biglaw firm has formed and promoted to connect lawyers around such common denominators as race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.
In the ensuing conversation, I explained that lawyers regularly tell me that they feel isolated and lonely although they’re surrounded by hundreds of co-workers every day. They attribute their sense of isolation to, among other things, the competitive nature of the business and long working hours. This loneliness – this lack of esprit de corps – is one of the primary causes of the rampant lawyer attrition plaguing firms today.
While many firms embrace affinity groups as a key component of their diversity initiatives, such groups can be formed around a multitude of shared interests – like books, sports, travel and music. Regardless of their focus, they hold great potential for fostering the kind of employee bonds that compel career contentment and thwart attrition.
For an interesting look at how businesses can avert disintegration and sustain themselves by recognizing and promoting shared interests, check out this fascinating New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell called The Cellular Church.
