Top Law Firms Win Health & Wellbeing Award

In an increasingly stressful and fast-paced world, awareness of mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever before and law firms are beginning to take steps to tackle this.

The efforts of top law firms Addleshaw Goddard and Pinsent Masons to combat these issues were recognised last week at the HR Legal Awards, where the firms were joint winners of the award for Best Health & Wellbeing Initiative. This is a well-deserved win, as the firms have recently signed up to the Mindful Business Charter, a collaboration with Barclays Bank to promote the importance of wellbeing among employees. The Charter is designed to encourage openness and improve communication surrounding mental health and wellbeing, and sets out key principles to help employers reduce avoidable workplace stress by changing working practices. 

The initiative has arisen after the JLD released statistics showing that 38% of junior solicitors had experienced mental health problems, up from 26% in 2017. Richard Foley, Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons, commented: “Mental health issues impact people at all levels and in all sectors. Changing working practices have increased those pressures significantly. It is not good enough to just accept that as the price we have to pay. We have a responsibility to make changes.” 

Signed on World Mental Health Day, the Charter has received backing from charities such as Mind, as well as both the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulatory Authority, and is a key step towards tackling the root causes of unnecessary stress in the workplace. 

Charles Penney, Senior Partner at Addleshaw Goddard explained: “Mental wellbeing has a huge impact on organisations and individuals, their friends and families. In many instances, small changes can have exponentially positive impacts in reducing stress. This in turn helps improve retention, motivation and productivity, while addressing absenteeism.”

At Sacco Mann, we take great pride in that fact that our clients recognise the importance of such a significant subject and are taking market-leading initiatives to ensure the health of their employees. Feel free to give us a call on 0113 245 3338 to find out more about the types of clients we work with and the steps they are taking to create great working environments for their employees.