Wellbeing in times of Covid-19: how are we doing?

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Andrea Kennedy
11KBW, London
andrea.kennedy@11kbw.com

There has been a lot written about physical and mental self-care while in lockdown during the Covid-19 crisis. Most of it makes perfect sense: keep in touch with friends and family, take exercise, eat sensibly, establish a routine, take breaks during your working day, get plenty of sleep and so forth. Yet how easy is it for lawyers to follow this advice? This article looks at a few of the effects that lockdown is having on our mental and physical health.

In the early days of lockdown, there were a number of things that changed that had a positive impact on us, such as:

No more commuting

People on video calls were looking remarkably rested here in London during the first couple of weeks of lockdown, mainly because the stress of commuting to work had been eliminated. People could grab an extra hour’s sleep in the morning or have a proper breakfast before starting their working day. They didn’t have to stand for an hour nestled under someone’s armpit on a crowded train or, more recently, worry that every square inch of their bus or tube carriage was contaminated.

Team spirit

Law firms here in the UK, as well as most across the world, spent the first few weeks in action mode, rallying the troops, helping their workforce to adjust to home working, training people in new technologies, connecting with clients and checking to make sure everyone was safe and well. There was a slight sense of panic, but most firms concentrated on being positive and proactive in adapting to this new world of work. One firm even bought desks for those employees who didn’t have one at home. It was challenging and surreal, but most firms and barristers' chambers managed well and felt pride and satisfaction in the team spirit that made it happen.

We really can work from home

For years firms have offered flexible working hours and working from home. You could ask for it, but you wouldn’t always get it. There was a sneaking suspicion among a number of firms that people working from home were just taking the day off and that if you asked to work from home you lacked commitment. Now that we all have to work from home, we’ve realised that it can be done successfully and, in many cases, more efficiently.

There was a lot going on in those first two weeks to keep everyone busy, engaged and pulling together. Most of us thought that three weeks were doable. However, with the lockdown in the UK extended for ‘at least’ another three weeks, the things that were working three weeks ago are starting to show cracks.

Working from home: screen fatigue, social stress and disrupted sleep

The New Yorker magazine published a cartoon in March showing a person looking at their computer and saying to themselves, ‘Wow, we really could have dealt with all those meetings by email!’ So true. However, now that face-to-face, in-person meetings are impossible, they are increasingly being replaced with video calls, and a lot of them. The net effect is that you are always ‘on’ and never leave your screen.

Pre-lockdown life was bad enough for many lawyers working significantly and, I would suggest, unnecessarily long hours. Now there are reports of some firms working their trainees and junior associates even harder, with constant streams of emails for up to 12 hours a day with nowhere for them to escape. Where is someone, stuck in a small flat or room on their own, going to get relief when they can’t go to the gym, play sport, meet friends or see family? The strain on one’s mental and physical health is enormous. Many feel that they are being micromanaged more than ever because their supervisors don’t trust them to be fully productive at home. Firms need to trust their staff and make it clear that they are entitled to, and indeed must, clock off at a decent hour, to take a proper lunch break and to get up and stretch their legs and rest their eyes at regular intervals.

Let’s all get together!

There seems to be a trend for law firms to replicate, or in some cases create, the social networks in the office by having virtual games, quizzes, drinks or tea parties. This is a great idea. It is important to stay connected to your friends and colleagues at work, but it can wear thin because, once again, people are in front of their screens to do this and it can still feel like being at work. It can be fun, but firms need to be careful not to overdo it. It is important to get the balance right between keeping people connected and over-connecting them on-screen, which can create more stress and fatigue than it was meant to alleviate.

Do I really look like that?

Another drawback of using video platforms is that you end up looking at yourself far more than you probably want to. When we are on the telephone we can slouch in the chair, drink or eat, bite our nails, roll our eyes or frown in response to something absurd or annoying that someone has said, even read and respond to emails. With Zoom or Microsoft Teams or whatever one uses, you are on constant high alert, checking your posture, ramping up your energy, maintaining eye contact and remembering to smile when you don’t really feel like it or trying to look engaged when you really aren’t. It can be very intense and exhausting.

Sleep, glorious sleep

Two things are happening with sleep. First, the more we are on-screen the harder it is for us to switch off and the more our sleep is disrupted. When we finally do clear our minds of work, the space created is often flooded with fear and anxiety about the future for us, our loved ones, our jobs and our whole way of life. Second, and ironically, for those managing to sleep better, more uninterrupted sleep has led to a rise in unusual and vivid dreams, often leaving them agitated and exhausted when they wake up. Lack of or disrupted sleep has a hugely negative impact on our physical and mental health.

Fear

These are just a few aspects of how the Covid-19 lockdown is affecting us. Some things we can manage ourselves, others feel out of our control. One thing that pervades every aspect of our life right now is fear. As mentioned, it is never far from our minds. Being busy and occupied keeps it at bay, but it grips us when we watch the news, read the papers or scan the internet and it keeps us awake at night. Fear overrides hope and rational thinking. The worst thing one can do is make an important decision based on fear. It is not just fear of what we know, it is also fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of what lies ahead for our jobs and livelihood.

That is why many law firms and barristers' chambers are retaining psychiatrists, therapists and counsellors to help their staff to cope with their anxiety and fear. It is also incumbent upon law firm leaders to be clear in the messages they give their staff. They need to think about what questions their employees might have and be prepared to address them, for example:

• What if I go back to work and then I, or someone else I work or live with, display symptoms of the virus? If I have to go back into self-isolation, how will that affect my job?
• I have only just qualified. Will I be able to hold on to my job in an impending recession?
• If I volunteer for a four-day week with a reduced income, as a favour to the firm, will I be seen to be lacking commitment?
• I live with someone who is particularly vulnerable due to age or underlying health issues. How can I go back to work and not expose them to risk? If that means I have to work from home for longer than others, will this jeopardise my position in the firm?

We are in for the long haul and will need to develop more coping mechanisms. Managers and leaders in law firms and chambers are in a difficult position: they need to look after their staff while at the same time trying to save their businesses. Some are doing a terrific job. There will never be a bigger test of leadership and management than now, during this pandemic. By being supportive, empathetic, forgiving and mindful of the stresses that we are all under those in charge will get the best out of their staff, both in the short and long term.

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