Following my comments in your article about lawyers prioritising work-life balance over salary (Gazette, 15 May), I wanted to expand on the benefits of agile working when properly implemented.

Numerous studies have shown that workers are more productive and engaged when given more control over their environment. However, as research has revealed (see International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2011), open-plan offices, for example, can negatively affect workers’ attention spans, productivity, and creativity.

The open-plan model is a great example of a poor interpretation of agile working. Knocking down a few walls, putting in hot desks and declaring it to be a ‘flexible’ space is not flexible or agile working despite what many traditional law firms seem to think.

True agile working is the freedom to work where, when and how you want – whether that is at a central co-working hub, your home, or your client’s offices.

Richard Beresford, Chairman and co-founder, McCarthy Denning, London WC2

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