| THE ONTARIO LAWYERS’ ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Life and the Practice of Law After Suffering Professional Burnout The demands of the legal profession - and the professionals who thrive in that arena - can sometimes be too much to bear. The result is burnout. With effective assistance, this state of emotional and physical exhaustion, which is caused by extreme and prolonged stress, is not permanent. For lawyers this means having to return to the workplace –and the work environment, that made them ill in the first place. For law firms and legal organizations, it means welcoming back a colleague in a way that will reassure the individual they are valued without putting them at risk for burnout- again. The bottom line for a successful return to work after burnout you're in this together. "My research shows that burnout is not so much an individual problem as it is a relationship problem," said Dr. Michael Leiter, Canada Research Chair in Occupational Health & Wellness and Director of the Centre for Organizational Research and Development at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. “The relationship is that of the individual with the workplace,” he added. “In personal relationships, it is difficult for one person to make profound changes without the active cooperation of the other person in that relationship. In the same way, it is very difficult for an individual to change a relationship with work without active cooperation from the organization” A successful return to work hinges on a number of factors. From the firm’s or organization’s perspective, there are important approaches and accommodations that need to be made. The key, said John Starzynski, Volunteer Executive Director with the Ontario Lawyers’ Assistance Program and President of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, “is having someone in the firm who understands what has happened and doesn’t judge (the person).” In that same vein, it is important that the organization not inadvertently fuel speculation or expectations. “Don’t give other lawyers in the firm information that will make the lawyer coming back feel like they’re under the gun,” said Starzynski, who has personally experienced burnout. But, he added, “questions of reliability and competency will arise.” Preparation is critical, said Melinda Carlisle, President of Rite-Hite LLC in San Jose, California. “Develop a transition plan.” Among the successful ingredients in such a plan are flexibility to balance family and job, more control over work schedule, and reduced work load, said Mary-Lou MacDonald, Executive Director, Atlantic Region, of the National Quality Institute. “Often the immediate problem is workload, especially the extent to which work disrupts personal life and the capacity to regenerate energy and enthusiasm for work,” said Leiter, Author of Banishing Burnout: Six Strategies for Improving Your Relationship With Work. The transition plan may call for a lawyer to work half-time initially or focus on particular files without having to worry about bringing in new work. It could even involve getting additional help. What it most certainly must include is recognition that work is not everything. If a lawyer needs time to attend counselling sessions or exercise over lunch, the organization must be willing to accommodate. But scheduling and workload is not the most signification issue, said Leiter. “The more profound issues have to do with values: the extent to which the individual and the organization agree on what is really important.” “When someone comes back to work after burnout,” noted Carlisle, “their values may have changed. This will affect how they make decision, which can impact behaviour.” This change is an opportunity, she added. “You use this as a coaching tool. Help them work out what has changed or shifted for them and what kind of work they want to do as a lawyer.” This help needs to begin before the lawyer comes back to the firm. “It is essential to have an explicit discussion of expectations prior to return to work – and to follow these discussions up,” said Leiter. Discussion is essential for the organization and the lawyer. "Lawyers tend to isolate themselves," said Starzynski. "Lawyers think in their heads. They don't live in their feelings. That's how they get burned out." Preventing a recurrence means that lawyers must have someone they can talk to and be honest with. This could be a spouse, a friend, a relative. It could also be someone affiliated with a Lawyer Assistance Program. "It really helps to talk with another lawyer," said Starzynski. There are other things a lawyer recovering from burnout and returning to the workplace needs to ensure are done. First, there are the basics. Get eight hours sleep a night, exercise regularly and eat three meals a day. "The big one is to eat lunch - and not at your desk," said Starzynski, noting that the perfectionist and driven nature of many lawyers means they put the client and the firm ahead of themselves. In the end, no one benefits. There are deeper issues to probe as well. Lawyers need to take time to reflect. They need to Starzynski has one more helpful, and free, piece of advice to help lawyers from barking up the wrong tree - and a recurrence of burnout. "Get a dog," he recommended-' This gives you exercise. And there will be somebody who is glad to see you when you come home at night.'
Legal Profession Assistance Conference (LPAC) |Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) | Lawyers Assistance Program of British Columbia (BCLAP) | Nova Scotia Lawyers Assistance Program (NSLAP) | Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) | The Lawyers Assistance Program (LINK) | The Alberta Lawyers Assistance Program | Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (Saskatchewan) | The Lawyers Professional Indemnity Company (LawPRO) | Law Practice Consulting |
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