4  What does a well legal workplace look like?

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To help you identify your overall goal for your theory of change, it is important to consider what a legal workplace which prioritises wellbeing is likely to look like. The following video discusses how unhealthy ways of working can become normalised, making it difficult to identify what changes are needed.

 

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Transcript: Video 6  Unhealthy ways of working

MATHIJS:
Recognising unhealthy workplaces, it sounds like it would be quite straightforward, but it can be challenging at times, especially, I think, if it's normalised. So if it's normal to work excessive hours and be under considerable stress, then that's hard to disentangle from, Is this just an expectation? Is this what lawyers and legal professionals should just be expecting from a workplace?
RAJ:
Yeah, I agree with you. I think that normally, people might think bullying in the workplace, overwork, working extensively long hours, maybe stress from personal life spilling into work or work life and personal life, these are the tenets of an unhealthy workplace. But if it's normalised and you're describing it in the legal profession, people may think, well, that's just really what all firms are like or what the situation is everywhere.
And I think that's important to recognise that it's part of the culture, and it makes it difficult. But it's not impossible to remedy. So thinking about reacting to this, I would say that it would be good to isolate the problems. If, for example, you find your staff are isolated, is there anything you can do to encourage people to connect with each other? Because this is going to be quite important. For example, for good teamwork, for good learning, it will probably be best if your staff aren't isolated.
MATHIJS:
Yeah, and also, you mentioned about in terms of firms generally. That's one of the ways in which people can establish how their workplace compares to others, gives them an indication of how healthy the environment is, too. How does this compare where you work, your organisation, to another firm? And even teams within the same organisation, how do they differ? And that gives you a bit of a yardstick, I guess, in terms of how things are in terms of psychological health in a workplace.
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Video 6  Unhealthy ways of working
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This section identifies a range of important elements of a well legal workplace. You may also identify others that are specific to your own workplace context.

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Activity 4  Setting goals

Timing: Allow around 30 minutes

Drawing on Sections 3 and 4 and your own expertise, spend some time thinking about what your overall goal is for supporting workplace wellbeing. You should consider the following:

  1. What is the overall goal you want to achieve?
  2. How will you know when you have been successful in achieving your goal?

It may be that you have more than one goal but do be careful to ensure the number is manageable and achievable.

Some examples of overall goals could be:

  • To create a healthier workplace environment with lower levels of work intensity.
  • To develop a workplace culture which prioritises psychological safety.
  • To change employees' focus on presenteeism in the workplace.

Make a note of your goal on your theory of change record. You should also include ideas for what your criteria for success will be. In other words, how will you know if you have achieved your goal?

This could involve quantitative evidence (for example, the number of employees attending a training session) or qualitative evidence (such as feedback from colleagues or leaders). The strongest criteria are likely to involve a combination of both of these.

Discussion

The goal you identify will depend on the remit of your role and the resources available to you.

Next, go to 5  Identifying workplace outputs and outcomes for wellbeing [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .