During the Coronavirus pandemic, our professional lives have been fraught with challenges. One of the most impacted areas has been the diminution of the boundaries separating our work and personal lives. Even before the pandemic, the legal profession has never been one of working 9 to 5, as work has always followed us home on nights and weekends. However, any last vestiges of legal professionals having “my time” and “my space” have been swept away as fast and as unexpectedly as the shutdown orders. Home offices, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms quickly became extensions of the workplace. The idea of having a safe place to escape from the stress of work seemingly disappeared overnight. Thus, all of us must strive to evolve in these changing times by adopting new healthy routines that foster a renewed sense of positivity, productivity and engagement.
The WAW program has been developed by SATC|Law to inspire a holistic work experience by providing our employees opportunities to explore new remote-work environments outside of the home and office, to rethink boundaries while thriving professionally, and to catch up on some much needed wellness and selfcare. Under the program, qualifying employees (both attorney and non-attorney professionals) will have the option to work remotely up to four weeks each year, while continuing to work remotely one or two days a week the rest of the year in accordance with the firm’s flexible schedule policy.
The word “waw” (or “vav”) also happens to be the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet, which has a design of a hook (as represented by the watermark) and the word “vav” in modern Hebrew means “hook” or something that holds two things together, which is fitting as this program is also intended to be the connection to a healthier relationship between our professional lives and our personal ones.