b'18 Local Government Lawyerthose who live on their own. environment on Zoom, with everyone typing away in the background and Supervision/management then occasionally asking each other a Managing staff remotely can be very difficultquestion. The shared silence can still and many lawyers have contacted us feelingprovide camaraderie. Some may find isolated and disconnected from work anda WhatsApp group or chat function their manager. Weve all lost the opportunityfor quick check-ins works better than to grab someone and ask a quick question,email or calls.we cant pop our head in to someones office5.Look after juniors. They will often to see how they are doing or pick up onneed more support, and are less likely those non-verbal cues that let us know howto have a comfortable home working someone is. set-up, with those in flat shares or One of the hardest hit groups have beenliving with their parents often having trainees and junior staff who rely on regularto work from their bedroom. They are contact and a close relationship with theiralso missing out socially.supervisors. They are often reluctant to6.Keep up the social side of work (for pick up the phone and call their managerthose that want it!). Team morale can as they dont want to be a nuisance. Othersbe kept up by organising quizzes, drop are finding their manager or boss is micro- in coffee mornings and other events managing them from a distance to the extentover video call.they are finding it increasingly difficult to get7.Role model healthy habits and a any work done. commitment to wellbeing. Staff take cues from how leaders behave, so Financial worries senior leaders should work healthy Many people who have contacted us havehours, take lunch breaks and annual financial concerns. People are fearful of whatleave, avoid working weekends and happens when furlough ends and whethertalk about their wellbeing and how redundancies will be made. Others arethey are looking after themselves. struggling with commitments on reduced pay;8.Peer support/mentoring is even at home, or they have an existing mentalsome are not able to get work. more important at the moment when health condition. For those people the officewe are lacking human contact so if was often an escape or a refuge and providedWhat can employers do? you notice someone is struggling,a chance to switch gears and focus on work. This is a challenging time for employers andhelping them to find a mentor or peer employees alike, but it is crucial in this time tosupport network can help. Issues with working at home stay connected and9.Build in rewards. A surprise half day 1.Recognise everyone is different,off, a treat in the post, a heartfelt Worsening mental health conditions is dealing with their own set ofthank you, an acknowledgement of a 15% of our COVID related contacts have beenparticular challenges and may requirejob well done - little things can really from legal professionals with an existingdifferent levels of support andhelp to boost morale.mental health issue such as stress, anxietysupervision over the coming months10.Signpost to support. If you have and depression which has been exacerbatedboth personal and professional. a wellbeing programme, EAP, by the pandemic.People have lost some2.Check in regularly. Managers shouldoccupational health or other of the routines and support structures thatcheck in regularly, little and oftenworkplace supports in place, now kept them on an even keel, and lack of socialworks best, and informal chats areis the time to make sure all staff is interaction, or conversely a lack of time aloneas important as work conversations.aware of how they can access them. combined with the daily news headlines andAsk how people are and how they areAnd of course remember you can pressures of work and caring responsibilitiesmanaging their workload.signpost all staff to LawCare.are weighing heavy on their shoulders.3.Ask what people need. Managers should make sure people haveLawCares tips for working at homeIsolation everything they need at home to do1.Set up your space. Its important One of the biggest challenges for many legaltheir job. In some cases courieringto try and create space between professionals is the lack of social contact.over equipment or ordering an officework life and home life, and having a For most of us, our everyday lives providechair or better headset can make adedicated area to work in can help. lots of opportunities to connect and bereal difference to an employee. Not all of us will have an office or around people. Humans are tribal and social; 4.Use technology wisely. Make surespare room to work in, but try and emotional support, and the role of individuals,staff arent on hours of video callsfind a quiet area of the house where families and communities in delivering this,every day unnecessarily and recogniseyou can set up a deskrather than are vital to managing wellbeing. Many lawyersthat for some people these are veryworking on your bed.who have contacted us are experiencingchallenging. Some people might1.Define your boundaries and stick to emotional distress and boredom, particularlyfind it useful to recreate the officea routine. As tempting as it is to stay'