In the last several decades, as other professions embraced flexible work styles, the tradition-steeped law industry has been slow to adopt work life balance initiatives. However, recession-related layoffs are piling even greater workloads upon legal professionals and many are crying for a better work life balance. Among those groups calling for work life balance reform are:
- Overworked associates, partners, and other legal professionals who are leaving the profession in large numbers.
- Working mothers seeking to balance the demands of parenting with the demands of a legal career.
- Cost-conscious clients who demand lower fees.
- Generation X and Generation Y, who represent a large segment of today’s legal workforce and place a high priority on family time.
- Baby Boomers who must juggle health issues and the needs of aging parents with work demands.
Other factors have also prompted law firms to adopt work life balance initiatives, including:
- The need to remain competitive in a declining economy.
- The need to attract and retain top legal talent.
- An increased incidence of shared-care parenting.
- A shrinking labor pool and the pending exodus of nearly 80 million retiring Baby Boomers from the workforce.
The critical need to ensure an adequate work life balance for employees in the current economic downturn is largely being neglected by employers as more pressure is put onto employees. In 2006, 53% of employees felt they had a good work-life balance; that number fell to 30% in the first quarter of 2009, according to Business Week.
The good news is that, in the past year, law firms and corporate legal departments have begun to view flexibility as a strategic business tool and are creating new, flexible work arrangements for lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals. If you are interested in a saner work schedule, consider these ways to achieve a better balance between your professional and personal life.
