It is important that organisations of all sizes understand how to manage and support staff that are experiencing mental health issues.
According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), in 2018 – 2019 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health and non-fatal work place injuries. Of those 28.2 million days, over 602,000 working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. During that time, organisations spent over £15 billion on sick pay and other associated costs. This not only indicates the scale of suffering experienced by workers, it also demonstrates the challenges facing businesses.
What’s notable about these statistics is how much of the challenge relates to psychological wellbeing. There is a growing concern amongst the legal sector that legal professionals in the UK are experiencing unhealthy stress levels that is creating a ‘surviving, but not thriving’ working culture.
In recent years, law firms have placed more emphasis on understanding the importance of mental wellbeing within their workforce.They have introduced many key initiatives to help create a happier and healthy workforce, such as:
Educating Managers – This allows them to identify early signs of stress, anxiety or depression.
Reinforce support with new recruits – Legal professionals are often handling a high volume of work. Additional support means they can delegate certain aspects of that work that often produces better results.
Flexible working – This has allowed legal professionals to create a better work life balance, which has had a positive impact on productivity.
Open working environment – Some people can find it very difficult to open up about their mental state. Creating a working environment that allows people to communicate openly will reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
According to MIND (Mental Health Charity), 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience mental health problems each year. It’s essential that the right conditions be implemented in the workplace to ensure that stress is reduced and mental wellbeing is fully supported.
At TSR Legal, we have created a one-team culture that encourages open and honest discussions. We spend more time together than we do with family or friends so we want them to feel comfortable in their jobs and not be afraid to speak their minds, regardless of whether they are having personal or professional issues.
We have introduced many in-house initiatives such as learning new skills, social events and dress down Fridays to help us maintain a vibrant working environment that will allow people to be successful and create a healthy work life balance.
Your people are your most valuable asset; make sure you are doing all you can to keep them happy and healthy.
Rob Adams
Director
T: 02920 388 100
E: Rob@tsrlegal.co.uk
Connect with me on LinkedIn
