At Hinman Straub, employees stay for decades

Law firm strives to build connections — resulting in happier workers

It’s the little things that make Hinman Straub a top place to work.

When employees or their families achieve something outside of work, it’s included in the monthly newsletter.

Casual conversations at work are encouraged.

Once a month, there’s a catered birthday party and happy hour.

“I think that helps us all be connected,” said law firm administrator Michele Woods.

The firm is spread across four floors of an office building in Albany, which can make it challenging to create a strong work culture. The firm also employs lobbyists and attorneys who naturally do some or most of their work off-site. The firm specializes in governmental relations, as well as services spanning the gamut from health law and labor law to financial planning.

Finding ways to connect everyone is the key.

“In most businesses, even the smaller ones, sometimes you just don’t see certain people,” Woods said. “We all spend so much time away from our personal lives. We spend eight-plus hours sometimes. I think you need that socialization.”

At Hinman Straub, it starts with treating all employees as adults.

“When someone’s taking a walk and they’re stopping and chatting, we’re not the type of environment that’s ‘Um, hello, aren’t you supposed to be at your desk?’” she said. “We’re all mature adults and we know what our responsibilities are and what needs to get done. We recognize people need that outlet.”

The firm also does not require inperson

work “in a rigid sense,” she said.

Accommodations have been made in response to employee requests, but most employees work from the office most of the time.

“I’m sure there are employees that would say, ‘I would love it if I had an opportunity to work 100 percent remote,’” she said. “But I can honestly say there’s no one who came back to work (after pandemic restrictions eased) that was stomping their feet.”

Instead, most said it was worth it professionally to be in person.

“The majority of people wanted to be back on site,” she said. “They appreciated not only the social interaction but the professional interaction that sometimes can be lost by the digital interaction.”

Informal moments — where someone asks a question when they see that someone else is available — are invaluable and hard to replicate digitally, she said.

And people seem to be happy. Many have worked there for 20 years or more.

“The longevity here is honestly like something I’ve never experienced anywhere else,” she said.