Last week was mental health awareness week which saw an increase within the press and on social media aiming to raise the profile of mental health generally and placing a focus on mental health and stress at work.
It was also only last month that following a survey of 1000 British workers, Lawyers were said to be the 2nd most stressed professionals in the country with those aged 35-44 reporting daily stress at work. It therefore seemed a relevant time to focus a blog on this area from the perspective of working within the legal sector as a recruiter. Our role is not only about finding people jobs but also listening to their reasons for wanting to make a move and ensuring that the next move is the right one for them.
Increasing at Thornton Legal we get calls from candidates looking for a new role citing stress at work as the reason for them wanting to move on. Examples of reasons given include - increased and unrealistic targets, micromanagement, expectation to work longer than contracted hours, lack of structure within the firm and toxic working environments.
The Junior Lawyers Division annual resilience and well-being report also revealed that of more than 1000 respondents, 48% had mental health problems within that month.
As a result of the increase in coverage on the issues of mental health and stress at work professionals are speaking out more than ever before and workplaces are under significant pressure to act and put measures in place to support and ultimately keep their employees.
It goes without saying that working in the legal profession can be stressful with large workloads and long hours often expected. Many are also juggling family life with trying to forge a successful career. The sad fact is that the profession is losing talent with candidates turning their backs on the legal profession to pursue other career avenues.
Recently the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) and BSB (Bar Standards Authority) have placed more emphasis on the well-being of the legal profession. The charity Law Care which was set up to provide a helpline for legal professionals has also seen a vast increase in calls.
Signs of stress an employer can recognise in an employee include –
- Taking more time off
- Arriving late every day
- Seeming nervous
- Lack of motivation
- Increased emotions
Signs of stress you can recognise in yourself can include –
- Sleep deprivation
- Drinking and smoking
- Mood swings
- Panic attacks
- Change in eating habits
Some tips that can help with stress at work include –
- Managing your workload - Plan your day. Often working longer hours does not necessarily mean more quality or productivity. Good time management can often produce the same results so get organised, keep relevant diaries and calendars up to date and switch off at the end of the day.
- Develop a ‘to do’ list - This will create a clear focus for the day/ week ahead and highlight urgent tasks.
- Delegate Tasks
- Say ‘No’ more
- Improve well-being - Take short breaks, go for a walk, go the gym before work or on lunch
- Take time off - Go for a long weekend away, use your holidays
- Don’t let life be work - As the saying goes ‘Don’t work so hard making a living that you forget to make a life’. Spend time with friends and family outside of work
Mental health awareness week has reiterated the importance of speaking out. If you feel stressed as an employee or employer, it can be difficult to talk, but there is a strong basis for requesting for support and for getting adjustments made in the workplace.
Many employers we deal with at Thornton Legal have their employee’s well-being at the forefront of their works culture with many offering flexibility, rewards and benefits to support employees.
However, there is still a long way to go within the legal profession. Highlighted by those contacting us wanting a new job due to their working environment, and the statistics continuing to come out of various surveys and reports focusing on the legal profession.
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Thornton Legal is a leading legal recruitment company, recruiting for legal jobs in across Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Yorkshire and the West Midlands We are passionate about providing a professional, innovative and reliable legal recruitment service that is focused on quality and ensures our clients are matched with the strongest legal talent available. Contact one of our legal recruitment consultants today to see what we can do for your law firm or legal career.