In recent years there has been a greater focus on mental health and the role employers can play in ensuring people are supported. Often, the question is, where to start in putting a meaningful strategy together. Below is a guide that will help you create a plan that will work for your firm or organisation.
Guide to creating a Wellbeing Strategy
Undertake training
Undertaking training is one of the main ways we can improve our knowledge about mental health and wellbeing, learning about how to support ourselves and others. According to our 2020 wellbeing research, the provision of mental health training across the legal profession is low, but 62% of people felt that training for managers would have a positive impact on workplace culture. 54% felt the same about staff training.
Only 24% of respondents in our 2020 research felt that their supervisors or line managers would know how to support staff with their wellbeing, or signpost confidently to further support.
See Me e-learning programme for managers and staff
Wellbeing Webinars and Modules
Webinars, modules and courses about supporting your own and others' wellbeing
Signpost support
The most effective way to challenge the stigma of mental health is by talking about it openly. Promote positive wellbeing around your office, particularly in common areas like staff kitchens and intranet sites.
10 tips for good mental health and wellbeing
Information for partners
Developing a wellbeing strategy for a high street practice post-coronavirus
Following on from a workshop with high street practitioners Olivia Moore, Careers Development Officer at the Law Society of Scotland, lays out some simple steps for smaller employers to include in a wellbeing strategy following the coronavirus pandemic.
Encourage your managers and supervisors to talk
Partners, associates and key decision makers should make an effort to be more open about their feelings at work to help create an honest and open work place and encourage others to talk about their feelings. Talking about our feelings at work can be a challenge, but the key is to make it a normal part of your daily lives.
How often do your supervisors ask how your trainee, solicitor, paralegal or support staff are feeling? Our workload as professionals can be challenging at times and there is no shame in asking for assistance or admitting that you are struggling.
Supervisors should be encouraged to ask “How are you?” “What can I do to help?” on a regular basis and be trained to spot signs that staff members may need support. Effective line management is key to driving wellbeing in any successful organisation.
Join our Lawscot Wellbeing Community
Want to keep up to date with our campaigns and events in relation to mental health and wellbeing? Join our mailing list to receive information about activities to share with your teams and workplaces, as well sharing good practice and how you're trying to improve workplace wellbeing.
Wellbeing Action Plans (WAPs)
Money and Mental Health: Best practice for employers
Create a positive culture
Consider whether you wish to issue a policy or vision statement for your firm on mental health and ensure that all existing policies consider the impact of mental health concerns.
Depending on your company structure, you may wish to ensure that mental health is covered in new staff inductions going forward to ensure that all staff have a level of mental health awareness and are informed of the support available.
Start your journey with See Me
Find an Employee Assistance Programme
Mental health first aiders
Menopause Support Resource
Our comprehensive menopause support guide, produced in partnership with Peppy, is designed to help individuals and firms access the support they need, with information, advice and further resources to explore.
Resources
Consult the experts for more information on how you can improve the wellbeing of your staff. Here are some excellent resources for firms wishing to improve the mental wellbeing of their staff:
We will keep our members updated on the progress of this project over the next few months. If you have used, or are aware of, other good resources, please let us know. Lawscot Wellbeing is about collaboration and we appreciate your contributions.
Lawscot Wellbeing
Leading emotional wellbeing for Scottish solicitors and their employees across Scotland, England and Wales and beyond.
- Seeking help
- Maintaining your emotional wellbeing
- Positive employment practices
- Concerned about a client
- Get involved
- Wellbeing webinars, modules and courses
- Our research into the status of mental health stigma and discrimination in the Scottish legal profession
- LawCare
- Parents in the profession
- Financial wellbeing and support
- Student and new lawyers wellbeing
- Inappropriate behaviour