Law firms should be actively protecting their employee’s mental health and emotional well-being. This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week will take place from May 15th-21st, driving the theme of anxiety, one of the most common mental health issues we suffer from. This article explores ways in which law firms can safeguard their employees.
1. Proactive not reactive
By training your managers to spot warning signs of poor mental health, you can attempt to prevent employees from spiralling before it is too late. Your team’s mental health should always be a priority over anything else, and this should be prominent in your workplace.
Your firm could consider setting up a mental health initiative, such as on-site counselling.
2. Be open about mental health
Create a company culture that is open for employees to speak about mental health, to normalise the everyday struggles they may be going through. Your solicitors need to be aware that experiencing lows is normal and should feel comfortable expressing themselves when they do.
Ensure that your employees know that if they ever feel like they are fighting the feeling of being low, that this isn’t normal and there is help available to them. Have your senior team members set a good example by expressing their struggles; if they show openness and honesty then the rest of the organisation is more likely to follow and do the same.
3. Regular check-ins
It’s extremely important that your team know that you genuinely care about their mental health and that you will take action if you find out they are struggling. Regular check-ins will help your organisation take the best care of your team.
Simply asking how your team members may not be enough as many people tend to withhold their true thoughts and feelings at first. Try taking it a step further by perhaps sending out anonymous surveys to gain a general idea of your team's emotional well-being.
4. Willingness to change
Ask your employees for their opinions on how your firm runs things, and seek their advice on what you can do to make improvements. By showing your employee's willingness to change, and embracing any feedback given you can showcase to your employees that their mental health is your top priority.
Take action on any suggested changes as this could positively impact your employee's emotional well-being, For example, senior management might discover their management style is harmful, not helpful.
Final Thoughts
With the legal industry slowly noticing the impact of not addressing poor emotional well-being in the legal profession, law firms are now encouraging employees to be open about their mental health. High performance and good mental health can go hand in hand.