Prep Your Firm for Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work® Day
As an employer, you have more than just the responsibility of running your firm -- you manage everyone that works there. This is a big month for interacting with employees; next Wednesday is Administrative Professionals Day, and the day after is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.
As the fearless leader of your law firm, you need to have a plan in place for hosting your employees' daughters and sons. Here are a few quick tips.
1. Don't Be a Party Pooper
Don't be grumpy and initiate a "no kids at work" policy. Instead, lead by example and bring your kids. And note, it doesn't have to be your kids (hence the "our" daughters and sons in the title). The organization kept it open to include children in your life, so if you don't have kids of your own, but have a neighbor, niece or nephew interested in a career in law, take them with you (with the parent's consent of course).
2. Have a Plan
It's not too late to get a plan in order -- that's what your admin's for. It's ok, they're getting a gift next week so you can give them a little extra work (just kidding, sort of). Luckily for you, (or whomever you delegate this task to), the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation has done a lot of the work for you. If you visit the site, it will help you plan activities for the day, and has lots of great resources for you to host a memorable, learning experience for all the kids.
3. Quick Ideas
Here are some quick ideas on events you can have at your firm for the children:
a. Lunch or Breakfast -- Cater lunch or breakfast so everyone can eat together. Sharing a meal is a great way to facilitate dialogue, and you can moderate a question and answer session.
b. Tour of the Firm -- Give the kids a tour of the firm, and have each person they meet explain to them what their position is, and what they do at work.
c. Other Activities -- Check out the official Activity Guide for some ideas on education-based activities.
d. Marketing Opportunity -- You can even make this a marketing opportunity and invite clients to bring their kids if they have interest in the legal profession.
This year's theme is "Plant a Seed, Grow a Future." It may seem like a bit of work upfront to organize an event like this at your firm, but when you compare that to the impact it could have on a child, it's definitely well worth it.
How will your firm host Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day? Let us know on Facebook for FindLaw for Legal Professionals.
Editor's note, April 19, 2016: This post was first published in April, 2014. It has since been updated with dates and resources for 2016.
Related Resources:
- Customer Service 101: Keeping Your Clients Happy (and on Retainer) (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)
- Soaring Child Care Costs -- What Your Firm Can Do To Help (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)
- Mind Your Own Business: National Women's Small Business Month (FindLaw's Strategist Blog)