From January 2014, Gleiss Lutz will be offering its associates and associated partners twice the opportunity to take a one month sabbatical as part of the newly-introduced sabbatical programme. These sabbaticals can be taken in year three and six of employment at Gleiss Lutz, respectively. What makes these special is that the firm will continue to pay the salary of the associate or associated partner during this additional month off.
Dr. Alexander Schwarz, the partner responsible for personnel at Gleiss Lutz comments: “We are introducing these sabbaticals as a direct response to the results of a recent survey carried out among our associates, which highlighted the importance of work-life balance. A particularly frequent comment by our associates was that they wished they could take a longer break from work.” The firm wants to take this into account. “We believe that someone who can recharge his or her batteries will come back to work with increased energy and more creative ideas. This means that it is not just our employees who benefit, but ultimately the entire firm.”
Gleiss Lutz has been committed to continually improving the work-life balance of its personnel. It was the first leading law firm in Germany to offer female partners the opportunity to work part time. In addition, all partners at Gleiss Lutz have for many years already been able to take sabbaticals – albeit unpaid. The firm further offers all lawyers various options to enable them to structure their working hours as flexibly as possible, including a range of part-time working models and the possibility of working from home (home office).
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