Wellbeing
Resources and references for mental health and wellbeing in law firms
Pete Riddleston, LawNet’s Learning & Quality Director is well known for his advocacy of mental wellbeing in the workplace, speaking out on his own experience and leading initiatives to raise awareness in the legal sector. He is a regular contributor on the topic and collected here are links to some of the resources and research mentioned in his articles.
Also included are some of Pete’s contributions on the topic:
Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2018
The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Sickness absence rates of workers in the UK labour market, including number of days lost and reasons for absence.
Mental Wellbeing at Work : Public Health Guideline
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NIC), which covers how to create the right conditions to support mental wellbeing at work. The aim is to promote a culture of participation, equality and fairness in the workplace based on open communication and flexible working. with examples of research which has indicates a correlation between mental wellbeing and business performance.
The Bellwether Report 2019: Stress in the Legal Profession — Problematic or Inevitable
Research findings from Lexis Nexis on reported stress levels in the profession. The report looks at how stress fits into the job of a solicitor and whether stress levels are a major problem for firms and whether a change in mindset is necessary for solicitors to flourish.
Thriving at work : The Stevenson / Farmer review of mental health and employers
A Government-commissioned independent review into how employers can better support the mental health of all people currently in employment including those with mental health problems or poor well-being to
remain in and thrive through work.
Resilience and wellbeing survey 2019 : Junior Lawyers Division of the Law Society
The latest findings from the Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) annual resilience and wellbeing survey, which indicates growing numbers of junior lawyers reporting stress in the workplace.
Supporting resilience and wellbeing in the workplace : Guidance for best practice
Guidance from the Juniors Lawyers Division of The Law Society for employers aimed at reducing stigma and fostering good mental health.
Supporting wellbeing in the workplace : Guidance for best practice
Guidance from the Law Society for employers, covering best practice for safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of employees in the workplace, with specific recommendations for different sizes of firm. It has been designed for solicitors, managers, learning and development, diversity and inclusion and HR professionals. It applies to lawyers at any stage of their career, as well as business services support staff.
Creating Mentally Healthy Legal Workplaces
Guidelines for law firms from LawCare, a charitable organisation established to promote and support good mental health and wellbeing in the legal community. Also available are various resources including Fit for Law, a course on emotional competence and professional resilience for both individual legal professionals and employers, to promote psychologically and emotionally healthier ways of working in law.
Research by MIND, the mental health charity, shows that lack of communication around mental health can be costly to employers. The charity also has resources designed to help organisations improve mental wellbeing and employee engagement.
LawCare's research study Life in the Law, (2021). This research, the first of its kind in this country, looked at mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession and over 1,700 professionals from the UK, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, and Isle of Man took part.