Law Firm Life Is Terrible For Your Health
A new study on white-collar workers is a treasure trove of bad news for lawyers.
The latest news you probably suspected but still hoped wasn’t true: according to a recent study by PsychSafe principal consultant Dr. Rebecca Michalak, lawyers have the worst health and well-being of any white-collar professionals.
Well, obviously.
And don’t get smug, all you small-firm and solo lawyers who think you’ve somehow escaped from the worst of law firm life, because the study found that all firms, from Biglaw monoliths to solos working out of temporary space, do a body bad. AFR Weekend (sub. req.) reports the findings of the study:
Ranking The Law Firms Lawyers Love
The key finding of the study was that lawyers working in law firms, with their strenuous workloads, overtime and high pressure, is producing professionals with the lowest psychological and psychosomatic health and wellbeing than all other professionals.
In another dangerous revelation for firms and the profession, substance use and abuse among lawyers is twice that of other professionals.
I consider myself a proud standard bearer of the lawyers can drink meme, but a 2x rate of substance abuse is nothing to sneeze at.
All the stress of the profession is really adversely affecting people. And it turns out the way lawyers tend to deal with stress is just making matters worse. It seems lawyers are more likely to try to tough out difficult situations or push dopey “mindfulness” coping techniques rather than work on preventative strategies, and it is taking its toll:
“From a risk perspective, it’s after the fact – much like relying on a fire blanket, rather than preventing the fire in the first place,” Dr. Michalak said. “We seriously need to step away from the resilience cookie jar and move towards primary prevention strategies to address causes of poor mental health and wellbeing, which include work environment factors.”
Sponsored
Law Firm Business Development Is More Than Relationship Building
Ranking The Law Firms Lawyers Love
Curbing Client And Talent Loss With Productivity Tech
Law Firm Business Development Is More Than Relationship Building
The study really is a treasure trove of bad news for lawyers. They are also the profession most likely to have toxic working environments. The report details employee mistreatment, poor human resources responses, and sexual harassment as behaviors found in law firms:
Far from guiding and mentoring, the main perpetrators of mistreatment in firms were typically male partners who were older than their subordinates and often likely to target female employees.
Mistreatment was leading to higher absenteeism and staff turnover rates, with lawyers being three times as likely to resign after being badly treated.
Most victims’ experiences, however, went unreported, while those who did raise concerns or challenged their perpetrators often faced more negative experiences as a consequence.
Factors including an unethical climate in the workplace, destructive leadership styles and poor human resources policies and practices are also affecting organisational culture as well as job performance, satisfaction and commitment.
Actually seeing confirmation of all the reasons you hate law firm life is difficult, but at least you know you aren’t being gaslighted.
Lawyers have lowest health and wellbeing of all professionals, study finds [AFR]
Earlier: Gaslighting
Sponsored
Luxury, Lies, And A $10 Million Embezzlement
