We are in an era where employers at law firms are paying attention to the well-being of their associates. More than ever before, mental health and wellness are a priority, and programs are being designed to keep employees happy and motivated. This includes everything from offering counseling and support to creating financial rewards to encourage lawyers to perform.
But this does not mean that all the problems are solved. There is still room for firms to improve since mental health means some workers cause losses of $200 billion each year. Indeed, there is not a package or system that is going to suit everyone. Yet, law firms can offer more than just a benefits package to their lawyers. Workers want to know that they are supported and that a wellness program is there to help them overcome mental health problems in their legal profession.
What Elements Can Be Part of a Wellness Program?
Law firms that are starting wellness initiatives are going to have a lot to think about. Namely, what elements are going to fulfill employee satisfaction and ensure they feel supported.
Here are some features you can introduce into a new wellness plan.
Education on Mental Health
Everyone is becoming aware that their mental condition is important. But not many people take the time to learn about it and how it can affect them. This is particularly true when they work in a busy office environment. As a result, many workers can feel overwhelmed with their workload, which is common when associates are new to the legal community and workplace.
Providing education on mental health can be precisely what your law firm needs. We all know that it is essential to talk about mental health issues, but not everyone has an outlet. By arranging education on mental condition, employees can learn more about when they should open up. It can also help make a safe space for them to know they will be secure in their job if they are having problems.
When your employees have the confidence and knowledge to understand the mental conditions, they can seek emotional support to stop issues from getting worse. In the long run, this can help firms from suffering when their employees are off sick.
Consider Introducing Flexitime
Not everybody performs well in an office environment and working 9 to 5 during the week. We all know in the law industry that you will also be working long hours on some occasions. Over time, these stringent hours are going to lead to less productivity and low morale.
An excellent way to look after your employee’s mental and physical health is to introduce flextime. Allowing flexible work schedules and environments has proven to work well for many legal professionals and law firms. All you are going to require your employees to do is work the required hours each week. They can have some freedom when they start their work and if they are going to work from home a few days a week. This will allow employees to take care of their personal lives, and at the same time, they can still get through the paperwork and duties of their jobs. Again, a happy employee is a good employee, and everyone can benefit from flexitime.
Show Compassion and Understanding
Being the boss in a law firm, you must show leadership. You oversee the office and ensure that everything gets done. However, it is not all about being demanding and chasing down your employees to complete tasks. You also want to ensure that you show compassion and understanding to your associates as part of your employee wellness program. After all, you are all human, and you want to ensure that your employees enjoy working at the law firm.
Showing compassion and understanding toward other people in the workplace is proven to improve trust between employers and employees. It is also a way to increase positivity in the office. These are good elements that can help protect mental health and contribute to a good working environment. For example, when an associate feels comfortable working, they are more likely to open up about their problems and seek help. Overall, this is all going to lead to better results for a law firm.
Host a Wellness Event and Attend Fairs
Every year, it can be beneficial to hold wellness events or to send employees away to a fair of this type. This can be a team bonding exercise and teach your associates healthy habits that they take back to the office. It is something everyone can look forward to and be beneficial for education on mental health. This can remind some people that they need to improve their habits and start looking after their health. It also shows that you care about your employee's job satisfaction and promote many benefits in the long run.
Create Monthly Meetings
Law firms need to open up the dialogue with their associates. Companies forget that employees want to speak with their bosses regularly. This is an excellent way to track progress and build trust and spread positivity in the workplace. In particular, a monthly firm meeting can be a good idea. This allows lawyers to meet with their bosses and discuss any problems they are having. In addition, the next firm meeting should not all be about failings or things that are going wrong. They can also be a good part of a wellness planning that allows for the discussion of achievements and incentives. The point is to improve the relationship between bosses and provide a positive and comfortable place to work.
Set Up Healthy Challenges
The next suggestion as part of a wellness plan is for some fun and to encourage healthy habits. You can choose to set firm-wide challenges so that everyone has something worth striving towards. For example, this could be challenging all of your employees to walk 10,000 steps every day for two weeks.
Alternatively, it could be setting a challenge to drink more water every day at their desk. It is all a bit of fun, but it is something that everyone can do together. It can help with team bonding, as well as encourage people to start making healthy choices.
Arrange Fitness Consultations
Mental health is vital, but so is your physical health. When you implement a wellness program for your law firm, you want to ensure that you can provide support for physical health. For instance, you can arrange fitness consultations for any employee that wishes one. This will provide physical assessments for people to understand their body fat analysis, BMI, and general health. This allows employees to make appropriate changes to their lifestyle in line with the consultation.
Again, it is beneficial for many employers to invest in fitness consultations as part of a wellness plan. There are many sick days during the year where employees cannot work—this costs firms money. By providing consultations, perhaps employees can make changes to their health to stop this from happening. In addition, attorneys will have the information they need to improve their feel, preventing them from getting sick.
Have Team-Building Sessions
Let’s not forget how important it is to get along with your colleagues and have friends at work. This provides a different type of support network that will create a good place to work for everyone. To encourage associates to socialize and mix with people different from them, you can arrange team-building sessions. This gives everyone the chance to participate, talk to others and focus on something not work-related. It is a great way to make friends and bond. This can be exactly what someone needs, and it creates a pleasant environment in the workplace. This can make all the difference to someone’s mental health.
Read these articles for more information:
- Running Effective Meetings
- Top Performers in the Workplace: What We Should Know About Them
- The Eight Values of the New Employee-Employer Relationship
