As a counterpoint to measuring anything and everything in sight, it's important to acknowledge that some of the most important things are intangible, unmeasurable and should be kept well away from accountants
I was reminded of this recently when I was discussing December's rather intense social calendar with my eldest cost centre (aged 9 and-a-half)
It would appear that my social life peaked with the Hogan Lovells family Christmas party when she was (perhaps?) 3
That whole experience has stuck with her for 6 years and counting and all my other social arrangements pale in comparison
Admittedly, she's right - that Christmas party was memorable (singing Elsa and all!), and as a consequence the team from Lovells are some of the few work friends my kids have met
Law firms are full of these traditions, be that Christmas parties, summer balls, charity galas, team away days, sports days and so on
It is a shame when these events stop* because the costs are measurable, but the benefits are intangible
Covid also has a lot to answer for here, I think a lot of these events were forced to stop and then they failed to clear the business case to restart them
But for all the talk of needing to be in the office x days a week 'because culture', it's these, admittedly expensive, admittedly time consuming to arrange, events that really build the bonds between teams and speak to the culture of a firm
*I honestly don't know if the Hogan Lovells family Christmas party still continues. I hope it does - appreciate if someone could let me know!
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