Law firm Shoosmiths to re-open its sites in Leeds and Sheffield

The business said it was giving colleagues even more choice to make their own decisions on where and when they work, with technology taking precedence over floorspace.

Shoosmiths said it was committed to retaining a two-metre social distancing rule as well as a strict and limited number of people allowed at any location at one time. Its Birmingham office is also trialing a new software system developed in-house, called Basecamp, which allows colleagues to book a desk, parking and other facilities.

Shoosmiths’ head of Leeds office, Simon Meek, said: “The pandemic has brought about a seismic shift in how we work, and we’ve adapted to this with enhanced agility. It’s not a case of going back to the old ways of working – we have chosen to embrace the change and do things differently and build on everything we’ve learned over the past few months.

“I am incredibly proud of how we’ve adapted as a firm – from the commitment and flexibility of our colleagues, to the speed at which our IT team fast-forwarded our working from home ability. Our new ‘Your How’ principles build on all this good work, and more importantly, goodwill.

“We have taken the opportunity for a radical refresh of our talent proposition which we know will improve working life for our teams, aid our diversity and inclusion agenda, increase our talent pool and enhance our client offering. This is a game changer.”

Shoesmiths entered the Leeds market two years ago and is based in the Platform building.