Law firms offer benefits and adopt employee-friendly policies in part because they hope those things will inspire employees to work hard, remain committed to the firm, and give a little extra when the firm needs it. They offer paid vacation time, flexible schedules, remote-work options, parental leave, sabbaticals, wellness programs, and other benefits designed to attract good people and keep them happy.

But there is a difference between offering a benefit and allowing employees to actually enjoy it.

Consider vacation time. A firm might offer four weeks of vacation, which sounds generous. But what if taking more than a week at a time is frowned upon? What if employees are expected to monitor email while they are away? What if taking vacation requires navigating an elaborate approval process or finding someone to cover every conceivable issue that might arise? What if employees technically have the time but understand that using too much of it might cause others to question their commitment?

At some point, the benefit stops feeling like a benefit.

The same thing can happen with flexible schedules. Telling employees that they can adjust their hours is not particularly meaningful if every adjustment requires an explanation and approval. A sabbatical may look impressive in an employee handbook, but not if so many conditions are attached that employees are reluctant to use it.

This matters because the purpose of employee benefits is not simply to put something attractive in a handbook. Employers expect something in return. They hope employees will feel valued, appreciate the organization, remain with it longer, and perhaps be willing to give a little extra when the organization needs it.

Research suggests that this sense of reciprocity is real. Studies of what researchers call “perceived organizational support” have found that when employees believe their employer values their contributions and cares about their well-being, they feel a greater obligation to care about the organization and help it achieve its goals.

But perception is the key.

A 2024 meta-analysis involving 134 studies and more than 260,000 employees examined the relationship between employee benefits and outcomes such as job satisfaction, commitment, well-being, and intentions to leave. Interestingly, how employees evaluated their benefits was more strongly related to most of those outcomes than simply whether the benefits were available or whether employees used them.

Vacation research tells a similar story. Employees who say their organizations encourage vacation are more likely to use their vacation time and report greater job satisfaction than employees who perceive that taking time off is discouraged. More recent research also shows that employees frequently leave PTO unused because of workplace pressures and concerns about how taking time off will be perceived.

There is nothing wrong with reasonable rules. Law firms have clients to serve, deadlines to meet, and work that must get done. A flexible-work policy cannot mean that everyone simply works whenever they want, and vacation necessarily requires some coordination.

But there is a point at which reasonable guardrails become so many strings attached.

If you are going to give employees a benefit, let them enjoy it. Otherwise, you may incur the cost of providing the benefit without receiving much of what you hoped to get in return.