Keys to Successful Law Firm Wellness Programs

What Works Well in a Wellness Program 

An onsite clinic, medical professional, or counselor. The ability to access services nearby is not only convenient, but can  (1) lessen the amount of time employees spend driving to and waiting for appointments, and  (2) help identify and treat health issues earlier.

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Apps for meditation and self-care. Many law firms encourage employees to take time to take care of themselves with paid subscriptions to and access to premium content on wellness apps. Some of the more popular apps include Calm, Ginger, Headspace, and Modern Health.

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Onsite fitness facilities, paid gym memberships, or wellness stipends. Countless books have been written on the benefits of physical activity—including improved mood, increased energy, being more relaxed, being less anxious, and being less susceptible to depression—and this certainly applies to attorneys as well.

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Nutrition programs and healthy snacks in the office. Like physical activity, healthy eating can improve your temperament, brain function, and overall well-being.

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Meaningful parental leave. There is nothing like the experience of being home and able to spend time with family when a child is born. Even the American Psychological Association recognizes the importance of paid parental leave and early familial attachment.

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Competitions, challenges, and fun, community-building activities with rewards. People generally respond and engage better when they’re held accountable by and competing with others, and when there’s an enticement for participation.

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An engaged wellness coordinator or committee. Your firm should be committed enough to your and your coworkers’ well-being that there is a person or group dedicated to organizing a wellness program and resources for all employees.

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Actively soliciting feedback and responding to needs. Maybe one of the best things a firm can do is not force-feed initiatives and activities, but take the time to listen to employees to improve their well-being in the workplace.

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Even Stronger Measures to Consider

Encourage (if not require) vacation or other time away from the office. When lawyers schedule time away from the office, they often cannot enjoy or actually take this time without being bothered with “urgent” work matters.

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Decrease billable hours requirements. Law firms may be reticent to lessen the number of hours that attorneys must bill because this means, at first glance, less revenue coming into the firm. But lawyers may actually be more productive—and they’ll certainly have better attitudes toward work—if they aren’t pressured with a billable hour mandate.

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Allow billable credit for wellness activities. This is quite the incentive—essentially paying lawyers to do things that are good for them. McDermott Will & Emery—which dominates Vault’s Best Law Firms to Work For rankings in nearly all categories—has allowed associates to bill up to 25 hours a year for mindfulness activities since 2018.

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Consider billable vacation time or paid vacations. Some firms believe so strongly in the importance and value of time away from the office that they allow up to 40 hours of vacation time to count as billable (Orrick) or pay for week-long vacations.

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Be authentically invested in what’s best for employees. A real commitment on behalf of law firms—not merely hollow words or lip service—to improve the well-being of its employees can do wonders for the health and morale of its employees.

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