Arriving Late and Leaving Late: A Sign of Hard Work or Poor Organisation?

Arriving Late and Leaving Late: A Sign of Hard Work or Poor Organisation?

We, the younger generation, have other priorities. Alongside our professional ambitions, we also want to preserve our personal lives.

We live in an era where work-life balance is constantly being discussed. This concept has reached every profession, and the legal profession is no exception.

Speaking as a young lawyer—and fully aware of the responsibility that comes with doing so—I believe I speak for many young professionals when I say that the image of the lawyer who, in addition to carrying out their legal duties, also seems to work as a night watchman is gradually disappearing. This applies not only to lawyers but to professionals across all sectors; however, I will speak about the profession I know best.

The old and traditional belief that the number of hours spent in the office reflects the amount of meaningful work actually accomplished has become outdated. Never before has the ability to organise, focus, and complete tasks been so highly valued. Today, results matter far more than the number of hours worked—hours that are often unreasonable.

We, the younger generation, have other priorities. Alongside our professional ambitions, we also want to preserve our personal lives. That personal dimension may be more individualistic or more community-oriented. The former includes interests such as hobbies, while the latter revolves around family, friends, and other personal relationships.

This is not to suggest that previous generations did not value these aspects of life. The key difference, in my view, is that today all dimensions of life are considered equally important, whereas in the past they were often ranked in order of priority, with the “late nights at the office” culture taking precedence over other social commitments.

Today’s greatest achievement should be flexibility. Professional success should be measured by a person’s ability to adapt and work flexibly. Flexibility brings responsibility, and responsibility is usually built on trust.

Priorities have changed. Instead of focusing primarily on higher salaries and other financial benefits, people increasingly place work-life balance at the top of their list when considering a job offer. The interviewee has gone from being a passive recipient to an active participant in the conversation. Monologues have become dialogues. Imposition has given way to negotiation.

Ties have become less common, Casual Fridays have become the norm, and remote working is here to stay—whether in its more “radical” form of 100% remote work or in the more common and balanced hybrid model.

Technology is evolving at an astonishing pace, with artificial intelligence being just one example. We are living in the era of soft skills and social skills. We are living in the era of work-life balance. We are living in the era of results, rather than the process of achieving them. We are living in the era of flexibility, emotional intelligence, and mental health.

Hard work will always be necessary. The question I ask is whether hard work truly depends on spending almost every waking hour in the workplace, or whether it can instead be carried out during reasonable working hours while still allowing us to nurture—almost daily—all the other aspects of life I have mentioned.

Dear legal profession, so deeply rooted in tradition, are we ready to embrace the current trends shaping today’s labour market? Or will we remain tied to the formalities of the past?