01 July 2019

Often, when businesses speak about collaboration, they think about what collaboration can achieve in terms of teamwork and increasing productivity. While these are important, businesses can think about collaboration and support in other ways.

Recently, the Law Council of Australia urged legal practitioners to support one another to achieve proper wellbeing.

President of the Law Council, Arthur Moses SC said, “Depression affects almost 33 per cent of solicitors and 20 per cent of barristers; 40 per cent of law students experience severe stress/depression to the extent of requiring medical treatment; and 11 per cent of lawyers contemplate suicide each month.”

Mr Moses called on the legal industry to tackle the problem with a holistic approach and to use the collegiate nature of the legal profession to combat mental health challenges.

InfoTrack recognises the importance of mental health within the industry so much so that earlier this year we launched our ‘Be Me’ wellness program. The program is designed to promote, support and protect the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of our employees and clients.

Like our clients, InfoTrack employees come from all walks of life - they speak different languages, come from different backgrounds and have different interests and hobbies. They view the world differently and need different things. Our Be Me wellness program shows that we care about the people we work with. We recognise that sometimes things can be tough, and we all need a little help and support sometimes.

For firms looking to implement a wellness program, here are three steps to create a program that works for employers and employees alike.

Step 1: Determine the needs of employers and employees

Work together to find out what the employees need to maintain optimum wellbeing and how those needs fit with the goals of the employer. Make sure both sides are open and honest as to what they need so you can navigate any potential challenges.

Step 2: Create a plan

Think about what will work for your existing workplace culture. Your workplace is most likely made up of different people with different interests and goals. If you can create a wellbeing plan that combines multiple elements – like fitness classes, individual health assessments or chill out rooms, this means anyone in your business can find something to suit them for when they need it the most.

Step 3: Communicate the program clearly

Communicating the plan clearly means firstly launching the program and subsequently sharing it with every new hire who walks through the door. In addition, a wellness program always needs reinforcing, no matter how instilled in your workplace culture it is. This means seeking feedback and updating the plan if or when the culture of your company changes. Remember that people don’t act or feel the same way each day. They may respond well to one initiative on one day and respond better to a different initiative on another day.

It is also worth remembering, that your business will grow and change over time. This means a wellness program should not be a drain on resources, but it should help boost employees, so they are able to be more productive and efficient.

At InfoTrack we encourage our employees to ask for help if they need it in their day to day tasks. Likewise, we check in with each other – whether that be through daily team huddles or simply asking “How are you? How is your day going?” when we pass each other in the kitchen.

There is no right way to implement a wellness plan, because every person and every workplace is different. What is important is working together to find what makes your people tick and helping them to achieve greatness.

InfoTrack

Leading innovator in legal technology, InfoTrack is an award-winning Australian technology company that is helping a range of professionals and individuals move into the digital age. We create intuitive tools that enable you to find, analyse, organise and communicate information more efficiently and effectively.

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