2024-10-07 14:43:33
In order to raise awareness in the legal sector of the importance of taking care of the overall well-being of people and, above all, of providing effective solutions for prevention, Illustrious Bar Association of Madrid (ICAM) sent a complete mental health kit to law firms and professionals. This kit includes a “Digital Disconnection Plan” intended for lawyers, as well as a best practice guide for law firms and HR leaders.
Furthermore, to support those who notice signs of extreme exhaustion, poor performance, irritability, changes in behavior, isolation, demotivation, insomnia, difficulty managing stress or physical discomfort without apparent cause in colleagues, ICAM has developed a program “Psychological first aid manual”. This manual offers guidelines for intervening early and preventatively at the first signs of mental health problems.
This is all part of “ICAM Mental Health Kit”a briefcase that resembles a first aid kit and contains these educational materials, which will also be available online on the ICAM Cortina Foundation website. “The global well-being of legal professionals is a top priority. With initiatives like this campaign we promote a culture of prevention and support that benefits both lawyers and businesses. As a College we cannot remain impassive when six out of ten lawyers tell us they suffer from anxiety and almost half have experienced tiredness, negative and depressing thoughts and emotional disturbances”, states the Dean of ICAM and president of the Foundation, Eugenio Ribon.
Action plan against hyperconnectivity
One of the innovative elements of this ‘kit’ is the “Digital Disconnection Plan”designed to mitigate the effects of hyperconnectivity that increasingly affects legal professionals. This plan offers clear guidelines for achieving work-life balance, starting with setting clear limits on working hours. According to the paper, “far from improving productivity, the blurring of boundaries between work and personal life causes cognitive overload that prevents lawyers from making complex decisions clearly.”
Among the most important recommendations are to limit the use of email outside of working hours, encourage regular breaks and limit remote access to work platforms outside of established hours.
Furthermore, the plan proposes to turn technology into an ally to facilitate disconnection, through the automation of email responses outside of working hours, the use of tools that turn off notifications on mobile devices and the implementation of time management systems and access limiters.
The ICAM document also includes guidelines for acting in urgent situations that require the attention of lawyers outside of working hours. For these cases, a rotational availability system is suggested, where only one professional is available to intervene in emergencies, thus avoiding overloading the entire team.
It is also recommended to establish a protocol for deciding when it is actually necessary to interrupt a lawyer’s rest, ensuring that such interruptions are exceptional.
Isabel Winkelvice-principal of ICAM, underlines: “Our goal is to raise awareness and offer effective tools that allow lawyers to reconcile work and personal life, reducing the effects of the hyperconnectivity in which we all live.”
The role of human resources offices and managers
The ICAM mental health kit also offers good practice guidance for office and human resources managers. This guide is based on the idea that a healthy work environment is essential not only for the well-being of employees, but also for the success and productivity of organizations. With this objective, we highlight the importance of continuous training on mental health issues, such as early diagnosis of emotional problems and stress management. Likewise, it is recommended to implement flexible work policies that help employees better balance work and personal responsibilities.
It is also suggested to establish open and accessible communication channels, where employees can express their concerns confidentially and safely.
The guide highlights the responsibility of leaders and human resources managers, who must be attentive to changes in the behavior of their employees and foster an environment of support and understanding. Among other recommendations, periodic surveys should be carried out to evaluate the work environment and mental health of teams, as well as designing assistance and well-being programs that include psychological services for workers.
In addition to identifying the main warning signs for identifying mental health problems, such as isolation, irritability, lack of concentration, absenteeism or apathy, the guide offers a preventive strategy. In this sense, managers of law firms with more than three employees are encouraged to participate in the Bienestar Despachos program, promoted by the ICAM Cortina Foundation, which is preparing to launch its second edition. The first edition was attended by leaders of recognized companies such as Uría Menéndez, Pérez-Llorca, Clifford Chance, Ashurst, ECIJA and Ceca Magán.
“It is essential that professionals, offices and HR leaders take proactive measures to look after the mental health of their teams. With these guides we take another step towards healthier and more productive working environments”, he concludes. Ana BuitragoDeputy of ICAM and vice-president of the ICAM Cortina Foundation.
ICAM and the well-being of the legal profession
In line with one of the key commitments of its program for government, the Board of Trustees launched in May 2023 an ambitious well-being program through the College Foundation, called “ICAM Integral Wellbeing”. This program includes workshops, training sessions, information materials and a free telephone helpline.
Furthermore, with the aim of making visible a problem that has often been minimized or kept in the shadows, the first study in Spain addressing this reality was presented in July.
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