5.1 Common wellbeing challenges and how to address them
To help you think about outcomes and outputs, this section sets out some common challenges experienced within legal workplaces. It also suggests a range of evidence-based strategies to address these. You can use these as a starting point for identifying the outcomes and outputs for your own theory of change.
Now you've read through the ‘Wellbeing strategies’ tool, next work through Activity 5. Refer to the ‘Wellbeing strategies’ tool to assist you with the activity.
Activity 5 Wellbeing challenges and practical strategies
Read the four scenarios below.
Using the ‘Wellbeing strategies’ tool, identify each person’s wellbeing challenge, then complete the matching exercise to select the most suitable practical strategy for each scenario.
Scenario A: Monica – in-house counsel
Monica is a high-performing in-house legal counsel at a fast-paced tech startup. Known for her perfectionism and relentless work ethic, she often stays late to review contractual provisions, respond to urgent compliance queries, and support product launches. Her attention to detail and reliability have earned her respect across departments – but at a cost.
Over time, Monica begins to feel chronically exhausted, emotionally drained, and disconnected from her work. She finds herself sacrificing sleep and personal time to meet others’ expectations, yet neglecting her own wellbeing.
After speaking with Human Resources and her manager, Monica reflects on her stressors and realises her situation stems from two main sources: her inability to switch off from work and the constant pressure of time-sensitive legal tasks.
Scenario B: Priya – remote working human resources specialist
Priya works in HR for a multinational law firm that transitioned to fully remote operations two years ago. While she enjoys the flexibility, she’s noticed her daily interactions are limited to the same small group of colleagues. Meetings feel repetitive, and her creativity in designing employee engagement programs has started to wane.
Scenario C: Daniel – remote working legal associate
Daniel is a mid-level associate at a large international law firm. Since the firm shifted to hybrid work, most of his communication happens through scheduled Zoom calls and email threads – almost exclusively with his immediate litigation team. Over time, Daniel begins to feel intellectually stagnant. The cases feel repetitive, and the lack of exposure to different legal perspectives makes his work feel narrow and uninspired.
Scenario D: Aisha – junior solicitor
Aisha is a junior solicitor at a prestigious London law firm. The firm prides itself on delivering flawless work, and while Aisha is committed to excellence, she notices a troubling trend: associates are terrified of making mistakes, routinely overwork themselves and rarely ask for help. Over time, Aisha begins to experience anxiety and self-doubt, despite consistently meeting her performance targets.
Two lists follow, match one item from the first with one item from the second. Each item can only be matched once. There are 4 items in each list.
Scenario D: Aisha – junior solicitor
Scenario A: Monica – in-house counsel
Scenario B: Priya – remote working human resources specialist
Scenario C: Daniel – remote working legal associate
Match each of the previous list items with an item from the following list:
a.Encourage employees to reflect on their work stress and to design their own recovery activities
b.Consider how to break down siloed groups/teams
c.Build connections and reverse mentoring initiatives to promote cross-generational understanding
d.Promote striving for excellence and high standards
- 1 = d,
- 2 = a,
- 3 = b,
- 4 = c
Feedback
Scenario A: Monica – in-house counsel
Practical strategy: Encourage employees to reflect on their work stress and to design their own recovery activities.
The Human Resources Wellbeing Lead helps her create a focused recovery plan:
- Psychological detachment through exercise: Monica joins a kickboxing class three evenings a week, using the intensity and concentration to switch off from legal work and release tension.
- Restorative activities: At weekends, she takes slow park walks and listens to ambient music – calming activities that help her reset after demanding negotiations and compliance tasks.
- Proactive scheduling: She blocks recovery time in her calendar before major launches or board meetings, giving herself space to decompress and prevent a return to burnout.
Within weeks, Monica feels more energised and clearer‑headed, with a noticeably improved mood. She begins tackling legal challenges with renewed focus and starts encouraging her team to prioritise wellbeing and set healthier boundaries.
Scenario B: Priya – remote working human resources specialist
Practical strategy: Consider how to break down siloed groups/teams.
After reading internal research on online communication silos, Priya decides to act:
- Cross-team social events: She launches a monthly virtual ‘Coffee Roulette’, pairing colleagues from different departments for informal chats, sparking new conversations and connections.
- Collaborative projects: Priya brings in marketing and IT to co-design a refreshed onboarding experience, blending storytelling with technical insight.
- Network expansion: She joins a company-wide hobbies Slack channel, meeting colleagues she’s never worked with – including a data analyst who shares her love of photography.
Within a few months, Priya feels reenergised. Her work benefits from fresh perspectives, and she’s built a broader, more dynamic network across the organisation.
Scenario C: Daniel – remote working legal associate
Practical strategy: Build connections and reverse mentoring initiatives to promote cross-generational understanding.
Recognising the risk of siloed communication, Daniel takes action:
- Cross-practice collaboration: He launches a monthly ‘Legal Roundtable’ where associates from corporate, IP, family, and litigation share recent challenges, sparking new ideas and revealing overlaps in legal strategy.
- Firm-wide social initiatives: Daniel helps run a virtual trivia night open to all offices, encouraging informal interaction. He even connects with a Singapore partner who shares his interest in legal tech.
- Mentorship beyond his team: He seeks guidance from a senior compliance counsel, gaining exposure to regulatory areas he rarely sees in litigation.
Within months, Daniel feels reenergised. His legal reasoning sharpens through diverse input, and he’s invited to contribute to a cross-practice white paper on emerging privacy laws — an opportunity that came from stepping outside his communication silo.
Scenario D: Aisha – junior solicitor
Practical strategy: Promote striving for excellence and high standards.
After attending a professional development seminar, Aisha learns that perfectionism doesn’t improve performance – and often harms wellbeing. She shares this with her team lead during supervision, who agrees to pilot a cultural shift:
- Training and onboarding: The firm updates onboarding materials to clarify the difference between healthy standards and harmful perfectionism, reassuring new hires that mistakes are part of learning.
- Manager communication: Team leaders begin discussing this distinction in weekly meetings, highlighting how striving for excellence doesn’t mean chasing flawlessness.
- Wellbeing integration: HR introduces mental health check‑ins and encourages staff to reflect on how they handle pressure.
Within months, Aisha notices a meaningful shift. The team is more collaborative, less afraid of feedback, and more open to new ideas. The firm’s excellence remains – now grounded in resilience and growth rather than burnout.
5 Identifying workplace outputs and outcomes for wellbeing