Conveyancing Executive Charlotte is the perfect advocate for remote working at Evolve Law. She shares her journey from a traditional law firm to embracing the tech-driven culture at Evolve and how she manages to blend legal finesse with top-notch customer service effortlessly.
So Charlotte, do you work remotely most of the time?
Pretty much all the time! I have to go in once a quarter, that’s what I’m contracted to do. I can go in when I like, but I’m really far away from the office. It’s about a four-hour drive, so when I do arrange to go up, it’s an overnight thing. 99% of the time I’m at home. I’ve worked remotely for other firms, and I’ve worked in an office. So I think I’ve got a good spectrum of experience with both.
When I was looking for a new role, it had to be either hybrid or remote, and don’t get me wrong; I like being in an office. I like the camaraderie, and being around people. I’m social like that, and I’ve got so many friends from when I worked in an office. You do build up very special bonds with the people you work with, I think.
At the time I joined Evolve, I was working remotely; I already had over a year of doing that. So it’s just normal to me now, and it wasn’t a culture shock or anything like that. It’s been a little bit of a journey, and I can’t imagine now going back to an office full-time; I just couldn’t do it. There’s no way.
How do you avoid feeling isolated while you’re working remotely?
I’m lucky because I work from my parents’ house, so every day I travel to their place like I’m traveling to an office and going to a completely different space. Evolve has made it so the remote team members all feel very much a part of the office. For example, all the remote teams get together online to catch up, and we can stay on that call for as long as we want. It’s surprising how quickly you can build relationships like that if you put in the effort. For me, working from home is kind of a necessity at the moment because of my dad; I still like the interaction with people, and I get it here. A few weeks ago, we also had a bit of a competition running for the month, where Marc brought a great big spinning wheel, and on each different bit of the spinning wheel were things that you could win for the month, and they had it in the office!
They put us all on webcam so we could join in with the spinning wheel and see who won what. They also encourage us to come down to the office, and we’re always welcome. There’s always a space for us down there when we want to. It’s a nice culture. I’ve made friendships with people even though I’ve never met them face to face, and I’ve only been here for a few months.
Do you feel like you’re on equal terms with the office workers, even though you’re working remotely?
Yes, absolutely. The office conveyancers are very good at what they do. Their knowledge is much greater than mine so I know I can also count on them for mentorship and support, and they will always pick up the phone. I know I can call absolutely anybody, and they will help me immediately. There’s never a case of “we’ll come back to you, or this or that.” They’re always there when you need them. Even if you work remotely, you’re never on your own; they’re always there.
How does it feel having staff like that looking after you?
It makes you feel wanted, and it makes you want to work harder. When I had my interview with Marc, I said to him, “I’m not someone that likes to work through their lunch break, I’m not someone that likes to work evenings or weekends, and I like my time away,”. But sometimes, especially leading up to Christmas it can get really busy… so I wanted to log in at the weekend because I like the company, and I know they’re going to appreciate it. And that’s exactly what they did – they thanked me. You know a company really doesn’t need to do that, but Evolve did, and that’s what you want.
It’s never expected, but when you respect someone and they respect you back, you’re willing to go that extra mile.
