Supporting a safe and healthy legal workplace
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The Guidelines at a glance

The guidelines provide a framework to create a workplace which is psychologically safe and healthy.

Ensuring safety is a prerequisite to the promotion of health.

A psychologically safe and healthy workplace is one where:

leaders:

  • Protect and promote the psychological well-being of all staff
  • actively work to prevent harm to psychological health due to negligent, reckless or intentional acts. 

all staff:

  • feel confident that it is ‘safe’ to speak up
  • and that neither management nor members of their team/colleagues will embarrass, reject or punish someone for speaking up.

The Guidelines :

WHY the guidelines?

Healthy people think better and make better decisions

1. Is there really a problem?

Statistics:

  • 33% of lawyers and 20% of barristers suffer disability and distress due to depression; they do not seek help and self medicate with alcohol.
  • Alcohol abuse in legal profession is extremely concerning
  • High rate of suicide and suicidal ideation among lawyers
  • Law students and young lawyers most vulnerable
  • 80% of disciplinary matters involving lawyers have an underlying mental health issue

What is it about the workplace?

Evidence:

DO NOTHING?

Increases:

  • liability
  • risk
  • staff turnover
  • presenteeisim
  • complaints
  • bullying & harassment
  • insurance premiums
  • costly claims

LOWERS

  • staff engagement
  • productivity
  • staff retention
  • discretionary behaviour
  • profit

Healthy people think better and make better decisions:

  • good for people
  • good for business
  • good for mental health
  • WIN WIN for all

Healthy People:

  • are more productive and efficient
  • make fewer errors
  • engage in discretionary and pro- social behaviour-less bullying, harassment
  • reduce costs- less turnover, recruitment, insurance premiums, stress leave, claims
  • retain -corporate knowledge, expertise and experience
  • reduce stress to managers

Healthy people:

have new ideas

  • are able to adapt to changes
  • are the KEY to innovation

The TJMF Guidelines:

  1. Organisational culture: there is trust honesty and fairness
  2. Psychological and social support: supported and able to get help when needed
  3. Clear leadership and expectations: they know what to do in their work as well as how their efforts contribute to the overall goals of the organisation.
  4. Civility and respect:  they are treated with respect and courtesy 
  5. Psychological competencies and requirements:  they have a good job fit
  6. Growth and development: they are encouraged and supported to develop  personally and professionally
  7. Recognition and reward:  they are acknowledged appropriately in a timely manner and appreciated appropriately for the work they do
  8. Good involvement and influence by staff:  they are included in discussions about their work and are able to participate in how decisions are made.
  9. Workload management: they are given the time and resources necessary to complete their work successfully
  10. Engagement : their work is meaningful
  11. Balance: they have choices and opportunities for flexible working arrangements to accommodate their work, family and personal priorities.
  12. Psychological protection:  it is safe to speak up and that appropriate action will be taken and protection provided
  13. Protection of physical safety:  their physical safety is protected

AIM of the GUIDELINES is to:

  • To prevent  injury
  • create a psychologically safe and healthy workplace
  • provide a framework for change
  • sustain ongoing improvement

 

What do I need to know about the guidelines?

  • they are:
  • voluntary- a  choice
  • a tool not a rule
  • not one size fits all
  • freely available
  • downloadable on website www.tjmf.org.au

NB: Compliance is not required

There are no pre-requisites

 

Implementation support:

  • overseas learning and experiences
  • relevant research
  • Implementation toolkit – ‘starting the conversation’
  • Shared learning experiences
  • Opportunities to share initiatives

What now?

Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation

The Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation is an independent volunteer, charitable organisation. The Foundation’s objective is to decrease work related psychological ill-health in the legal community and to promote workplace psychological health and safety.

Copyright © 2020 Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation