Beyond Band-Aids: Creating Effective Wellbeing Initiatives for Legal Professionals
Interpersonal connections are crucial protective factors.
Supportive relationships between peers and managers are "the biggest single thing that influences my feeling of well-being at work."
The legal profession has long struggled with mental health challenges. A comprehensive study published in the UNSW Law Journal examines the effectiveness of wellbeing initiatives for lawyers and support staff, offering evidence-based insights for legal organizations seeking meaningful improvements in workplace wellness.
The research, conducted over several years at a large public sector legal organization, identified distinct stress factors across different roles. For lawyers, workload pressures and effort-reward imbalance emerged as primary concerns. Support staff, meanwhile, were particularly affected by inadequate managerial support. Across all positions, difficulty disengaging from work—termed "overcommitment"—strongly correlated with poorer mental health outcomes.
When assessing various wellbeing initiatives, the study found that interventions targeting organizational structures and workplace culture had the greatest positive impact. Flexible working arrangements received exceptionally high effectiveness ratings (91%), with one participant noting their value in "managing stress and ensuring a good work-life balance." Similarly, family and community services leave provisions were widely appreciated (94% effectiveness).
However, the research revealed a critical implementation gap. While organizations may offer flexible arrangements on paper, heavy workloads often made these benefits inaccessible in practice. As one participant observed, "It's difficult to take flex leave rostered without penalty... in effect the outcome is lots of unpaid overtime is worked." Regional staff faced additional barriers, with limited access to initiatives available in metropolitan offices.
Secondary interventions, such as resilience workshops and mental health education, showed mixed results. Participants responded positively to practical, applicable strategies but criticized initiatives that felt disconnected from workplace realities. Tertiary interventions like Employee Assistance Programs were helpful for some but limited in addressing underlying structural issues.
Interpersonal connections emerged as crucial protective factors. The research emphasized the importance of supportive relationships between peers and managers, with one participant describing this as "the biggest single thing that influences my feeling of well-being at work."
For legal organizations committed to improving wellbeing, the study suggests focusing on primary interventions that address workload issues and workplace culture. Ensuring initiatives are genuinely accessible, developing management capabilities, creating formal mentoring systems, and tailoring approaches to different roles can create environments where legal professionals thrive.
The research ultimately confirms what many in the profession have long suspected: meaningful improvements in lawyer wellbeing require more than surface-level solutions. By addressing underlying structural and cultural factors, legal organizations can foster sustainable wellbeing that benefits both their people and their practice.
Reach out for support with implementing such interventions or independently leveraging the findings of this research in your workplace.
Reference
Poynton, S., Chan, J., Vogt, M., Grunseit, A., & Bruce, J. (2018). Assessing the effectiveness of wellbeing initiatives for lawyers and support staff. UNSW Law Journal, 41(2), 584-619.