Workloads are becoming increasingly more stressful – but are law firms doing enough to combat the pressure?
The strain to perform at higher levels in this incredibly competitive industry has left many feeling burdened and stressed. It has always been a high pressured job and new research published in Legal Week appears to suggest that law has become more stressful over the last 10years with the advances in technology and growing client demands adding to the anxiety.
Law has long been a vocation that requires its members to be tough and operate efficiently under pressure and it’s this very reputation and unspoken expectations that makes law so difficult when it comes to stress. Many lawyers are reluctant to admit to being stressed and having trouble coping with the demands that are placed upon them. The main fear is that of not progressing in their careers.
But should this mean that just because the job is pressurised it should be regularly stressful?
What more could law firms being doing to help? With this in mind, many UK law firms are beginning to try and tackle this issue, encouraging flexible working environments. Some larger City law firms have also set up defined processes to monitor and manage stress such as at Allen & Overy (A&O), which employs 2,500 staff in London alone, where they have introduced an employee assistance programme that provides ‘employee support and health and wellbeing services.
New and creative solutions are also now being implemented to help with the balance of work and home life. These include;
- Concierge services (an on-site concierge that provides employees with services such as dry cleaning, oil changes, flower delivery, film developing, watch repair, eyeglass care, mailing services, restaurant food delivery and travel arrangements).
- On-site child care
- Serenity rooms (basically a converted office where people can go for a break, meditation, prayer or a private phone call)
- Wellness initiatives (on site exercise classes, health screenings for cholesterol and blood pressure, Weight Watchers meetings, and health-related lectures on topics such as acupuncture)
So do you think stress is just part of the job when working at a City law firm? Or do you think that firms should be doing more to try and tackle this issue?
