Mental health problems are all too common in the UK’s workplaces and are the leading cause of sickness absence. It is estimated that an eye-watering 70 million working days are lost each year in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion each year (according to the Mental Health Foundation).
Workplace stress
Whilst not all mental health problems originate at work, workplace stress is known to be a major source of such issues.
Given the nature and structure of the work, it’s easy to see why lawyers’ jobs may put their mental health at risk. Targets, tight deadlines, high volumes of work, pressurised environments,
individualistic work, demanding clients and dealing with upsetting situations such as death, divorce, injury etc. all play a part.
We all need some stress to perform at our best but no one should be pushed to breaking point by the excessive demands of the job. For non-lawyers, stress can also be caused by overwork, a perceived lack of support or poor line management.
If not dealt with appropriately, stress and anxiety can lead to depression and other mental illnesses. That’s why protecting staff’s mental health is as important as looking after their physical health in the workplace. Not only is this the right thing for employers to do but it is
also a legal requirement.
Problems
No one wants to turn away work but sometimes, it doesn’t rain, it pours! Surges in demand at law firms caused by a buoyant market, a new client win or a court deadline often mean that existing teams are asked to work even longer hours.
If this carries on for too long, morale can suffer and, in the worst-case scenario, individuals may buckle under the stress leading to a downward spiral of absence and an increased impact on the rest of the team.
What can be done?
At Global BPO we provide highly skilled and experienced legal and non-legal personnel to support your existing workforce on an “as needed” basis.
We offer a huge range of services, including P.A support, document production, risk and compliance management, court bundles and document review (eDiscovery, due diligence, data subject access requests and internal investigations).
Instead of engaging in lengthy and costly recruitment and on-boarding processes (requiring significant HR resources) we can provide the appropriately skilled personnel from our established pool of experts.
We are extremely responsive and move quickly to integrate our staff with those at our client law firms, working together to meet fluctuating needs and manage those surges in demand.
We pride ourselves on working in partnership with our clients and their in-house teams to ensure a seamless, efficient and high-quality service.
By re-enforcing in-house teams to ensure work is properly resourced, our clients show that they value their staff’s mental health, mitigating the risks of overwork and reducing the risks of workplace stress.
Through investing in and valuing staff in this way, law firms will also ensure higher retention rates – a ‘must’ in today’s tight labour markets.
Get in touch
For more information on how we could assist you, contact our Client Manager, Suzie Young, at: suzie@globalbpo.co.uk. We are always happy to chat on a confidential basis and with no obligation.
