The standard day and flexible hours
A 10 am to 7 pm office day for staff and articles is the usual pattern. Senior professionals and consultants often work better on a flexible shift with core hours, say 11 am to 5 pm, and a minimum number of hours each day. Flexible does not mean unmeasured: the minimum hours still apply, and a day that falls short is visible to the manager. The arrangement suits people whose client calls run late but who are reliably present for the core of the day.
Split days for litigation teams
A litigation associate's day has two halves: court from about 10:30 am to 4:30 pm, then conferences and drafting in chambers from 6 pm to 9 pm. A split shift with two work blocks and a gap between them describes that day honestly. Late marks are judged against the first block, and the evening block counts towards daily hours instead of looking like overtime. Court clerks may keep a straight shift that starts early to collect cause lists and file papers.
A season roster that still gives a weekly off
In season, a tax team of 12 may need Saturday cover every week. Split the team into two groups of six and roster them on alternate Saturdays: each Saturday has six people in, and each person works about two Saturdays a month instead of four. Sundays stay off except for the last weekend before a deadline, which earns comp-off. A roster like this makes the season fair and predictable, which matters more to staff than the hours themselves.
Swaps between colleagues
Two audit seniors on different engagements may want to trade a Saturday because one has a family function and the other a client meeting on the following week. Let them file a swap request that the colleague accepts before it goes to the manager and HR; the roster updates on the last approval. A recorded swap is better than an unrecorded favour, because it keeps the Saturday count fair over the whole season.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Create an office shift from 10 am to 7 pm, a flexible shift with core and minimum hours for senior staff, and a split shift for litigation teams.
- Build a season shift and a two-week rotation template that gives each half of the team alternate Saturdays.
- Stagger the rotation per person and assign it in bulk across the filing weeks; one assignment can cover as many as 92 days.
- Give court clerks their own early shift, and set personal weekly offs for anyone whose fixed day off is not Sunday.
- Turn on Shift Swaps so staff can trade Saturdays, with the roster changing only when the final approval is given.
Read more about shifts and rosters in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
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What are normal working hours in a CA firm?
Many CA firms work 10 am to 7 pm with a lunch break, six days a week, with alternate or second and fourth Saturdays off. In filing and audit seasons, days run longer and more Saturdays are worked. Write the season pattern down so staff know when it starts and ends.
What is a split shift in a law firm?
A split shift has two work blocks with a gap between them, such as court from late morning to the afternoon and chambers work from 6 pm to 9 pm. It records a litigator's real day without treating the evening as overtime or the gap in between as absence.
How can a firm share Saturday work fairly in season?
Divide the team into two groups and roster them on alternate Saturdays, so each person works about two Saturdays a month and each Saturday has half the team in. A rotation template repeats the pattern automatically, and swaps between colleagues go through approval so the count stays fair.