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Legal Staff News & Views Newsletter Battling BurnOut Gone are the days when law firms lowered the flames under overworked staff members by hiring more people. Today, faced with the need to wring greater profits from fewer resources law firms are demanding better performance from their personnel. Pressured staff members respond in ways that can erode profitability. At minimum, fatigued individuals either call in sick or sabotage projects with negative attitudes. Worse, stress can carry over into family life in the form of high divorce rates. Finally, staff members can jump ship for other law firms where the atmosphere is supposedly more congenial. Personnel are not the only ones who suffer. Clients, ignored or even mistreated by a stressed out staff, start dreaming of greener pastures at other law firms. Stress creates a major negative impact on a law firm's creativity, innovation and profit according to Dr. Richard Hagberg, President of Hagberg Consulting Group in Foster City, California. But many lawyers believe that if they pour on the pressure, people perform better. In reality, stressed out staff members patch together short term fixes to problems rather than take time to address the issue. Law firms have traditionally loaded up associates with extra work as part of the price of becoming a partner. With the legal world ratcheting up to Internet speed, such workloads are bound to increase. You can bet staff will start experiencing more stress than ever. Many sources of stress are endemic to
the legal profession. Its not just a matter of overwork, its also
an oversupply situation in terms of the number of lawyers. A plethora
of lawyers put downward pressure on fees and upward pressure on performance
as everyone struggles to stay afloat. Most law is practiced under
an adversarial system that tends to carry over from the courtroom
to the work environment. Intertwined through this environment are
personalities who are competitive and aggressive in nature. It is
an intensely verbal and conflictual paradigm of "us vs them."
Stress can also be caused by an individual's insecurity about performing a task that requires new and unproven skills, particularly with a demanding task master. Psychologists say that before you can cure a disease, you have to spot the symptoms, such as the following common signs:
Not everyone responds to stress in the same manner. Some may become argumentative or talkative while others may withdraw and come more distant. To counteract a stressful situation staff should be encouraged to speak up when they feel as though they are being overloaded with work. Scheduling regular meetings during which the staff member discuss what they like and don't like about their work environment can make a world of difference. Not just a gripe session, but a meeting where solution are sought and suggestions explored. This should be a meeting where the partners should do more listening than talking. When support staff have a voice in how to cope with the challenges of their job it tends to reduce the stress factor. What's Cookin'.... A word about the bird... Want to cook your Thanksgiving turkey more quickly and safely? Don't stuff it. Bake the stuffing (or dressing) in a separate casserole dish and baste it with drippings from the turkey roaster. You will get the same great flavor, your turkey will cook much faster and you won't run the risk of anyone getting salmonella. Not only that it will save time! FIFTY DOLLAR FUDGE Combine sugar, butter and milk in a 2 quarter pan. Cook over med. Heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a boil. Once it is at a boil, keep it at a boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from the heat and add the chocolate, marshmallow fluff, vanilla and salt stirring until smooth. Pour into a buttered pan and smooth the surface. Refrigerate until firm, then cut into 1" squares. The fudge can be held at room temperature for several days or refrigerate for up to two weeks. This is almost no fail fudge. People, Places & Things... Its time for craft sales and time to start thinking about the coming holiday season, so here are some considerations. Nov. 8 & 9th Wheaton Junior Women's Club Craft Sale, DuPage County Fair Grounds, 2015 W. Manchester Road, Wheaton Call 630-668-6636 for details. Nov. 8 & 9th St. Isadore's Craft Sale, St. Isadore's Church, Gary Ave. & Army Trail Rd., Bloomingdale. Call 630-529-3045 Nov. 21-24th Autumn Festival Arts & Craft Fair, The Odeum, 1033 N. Villa Ave., Villa Park. Top quality arts & crafts fair that attracts over 500 of the nation's finest exhibitors from 30 states. Call 630-941-9292 for details. Nov. 21-24th Annual Geodon, Gems and Minerals Show & Sale, DuPage County Fair Grounds, 2015 W. Manchester, Wheaton. Beautiful gems, jewelry, stones and unusual items for the whole family. A great place to Christmas shop! Call 630-668-6636 for details. Dec.7th The Nutcracker, Paramount Theater, Aurora, performances at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. $26 adults, $20 children & seniors. Call 630-896-6666 for details. Dec. 8 & 9th The Christmas Toy Shop presented by AlphaBet Soup. This a touching story about a Christmas that almost wasn't. A sweet toymaker is transformed and the toys must save him. In the meantime, they have to free Santa Claus, save Christmas and free the toymaker. Packed with singing and dancing. All seats $8. Cal 630-896-6666 for details. For information contact Gloria Norton at DuPage County Bar Association, 126 S. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL 60187-4597, Telephone 630-653-7779, Fax to 630-653-7870 or E-Mail to: gnorton@dcba.org. |
