Strong culture setting the course
In 2021, Bruun & Hjejle launched a number of specific initiatives aimed at strengthening the in-house culture. All of these initiatives combine to make up what we like to call our ethical infrastructure.
The Danish business community and the Danish legal profession are facing the end of an era. A wave has swept across the profession in the past few years, focusing on the culture in law firms, concerning everything from sexism to the general tone in the office.
With the launch of a series of initiatives in 2021, Bruun & Hjejle aims to position the law firm as a frontrunner in the legal profession through committed efforts to address and strengthen the in-house culture. The organisation has worked intensively and developed an “ethical infrastructure” combining the culture-strengthening initiatives to be a key element of the firm’s DNA going forward.
“The efforts to strengthen our culture will continue indefinitely. Society constantly evolves and so do human beings. We try to be ahead of the curve and set the right course – not just with regard to men versus women but just as much with regard to sexuality, ethnicity, age and so on. Our foremost duty is to embrace and integrate 290 diverse human beings into a single culture,” says Helle Lehmann Staun, Managing Director COO of Bruun & Hjejle.
Culture to be strengthened by concrete initiatives
Bruun & Hjejle performed a detailed in-house survey on offensive behaviour at the law firm in 2021. The survey was carried out in collaboration with Denmark’s leading expert in work and organisational psychology, Eva Gemzøe Mikkelsen.
The survey revealed that one third of Bruun & Hjejle’s employees were unsure of what was meant precisely by the concept of ‘offensive behaviour’.
“We did not have a general structural issue with offensive behaviour at Bruun & Hjejle. However, it became clear to us that we needed an ethical infrastructure to serve as a road network branching throughout the organisation,” Helle Lehmann Staun explains.
This was the starting point for a number of initiatives introduced by Bruun & Hjejle in 2021, including a code of conduct, a whistleblower scheme and ongoing training and courses for employees and management.
A holistic approach
Bruun & Hjejle takes a holistic approach to the ethical infrastructure. The efforts to develop a strong culture are intended to have a broad scope and cover everything from good form to environmental considerations, coupled with continuous development of employees and the workplace as a whole.
The legal work involved in complex and time-consuming processes require a common understanding of how to behave on a day-to-day basis. The ethical infrastructure is intended to ensure security, equality and respect for each another across the entire organisation.
Quote by Helle Lehmann Staun
Our work is not just about sexism or offensive behaviour; it is also about good form in the workplace. Our managers should ask themselves: Do I create psychological security within my team? Here, our code of conduct may be used as a guiding principle for what behaviour will foster such security.
The efforts to create and maintain a strong culture at Bruun & Hjejle will continue. In 2022, for example, all managers will participate in courses on bias, conflict management and dialogue meetings.
Read this article and many others in Bruun & Hjejle's annual report 2021 here (in Danish).