Clifford Chance has appointed its first-ever global head of wellbeing and employee experience as the magic circle firm aims to be a ‘leading employer of choice’ amid an ongoing salary war and fears of staff burnout.

Charles Alberts joins Clifford Chance today from professional services company Aon, where he was head of wellbeing since 2017. The firm said his appointment to the newly-created role will ‘drive forward the recently-implemented global people and talent strategy’, which was developed by its chief people officer Grant Eldred.

Alberts, who will work with Eldred and Clifford Chance’s global partner for talent Chinwe Odimba-Chapman, will be responsible for creating and delivering the firm’s first global wellbeing strategy.

Eldred said: ‘We recognise that the world is changing and so is our role as employers. Supportive leadership is not just about talking to our people, but about listening too and Charles’ skills and expertise will strengthen our capabilities in this area.

‘Our people are at the heart of our business and we know that investing in their wellbeing and experience at the firm is imperative to our position as both a leading employer of choice, and as a firm that delivers exceptional service to and partnership with our clients.’

Alberts said: ‘Protecting and enhancing employee wellbeing and creating positive experiences has never been more important in the rapidly evolving world of work. It is evident that Clifford Chance is serious about its people and I look forward to working with our leaders and colleagues to create a world class approach to wellbeing, enhancing each step of the employee journey.’

His appointment was announced after a proposal made earlier this year by Jonathan Kewley, a candidate to become Clifford Chance’s London managing partner, who had pledged to create the new role of chief happiness officer if he was elected, though the firm said the position of global head of wellbeing was live before the proposal.

Clifford Chance recently increased the annual salaries of newly qualified lawyers to £125,000, matching fellow magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer though significantly below US-based firm Akin Gump’s £164,000 offer to NQs.

Concerns remain across the profession about lawyers experiencing stress or burnout at work, with a recent survey finding one in four are suffering on a daily basis, while legal mental health charity LawCare said stress was the most common problem cited by those who contacted it in 2021.

A spokesperson for Clifford Chance said: ‘This a global role which is focused on every employee, not just one level e.g. associates.’

 

This article is now closed for comment.