The one question you should ask at work today – are you okay?

Building strong and supportive relationships within the workplace is the key to addressing alarmingly high levels of mental health issues in the legal sector, but it requires leadership and a compassionate culture, writes Leonie Green.

The statistics on depression and anxiety in the legal profession have been cited for some time now – in fact, since a 2007 study by beyondblue found that the legal profession has a higher level of depression and anxiety than the general population.

It is staggering really, given the statistics for the general population are already incredibly high. However, this article is not about statistics; it is about relationships. Relationships can make a difference to these statistics.

Two of the nine factors that create a mentally healthy workplace, as identified by HeadsUp (beyondblue) are:

• open and honest leadership; and
• a trusting, fair and respectful culture.

These factors are both intertwined with relationships. We create the experience of open and honest leadership – and a culture based on trust, fairness and respect – in the ways we interact with one another each day, each week and through the course of months and years of working together.

Interactions are conversations (verbal and non-verbal). They are the smile in the morning, or the frown or lack of eye contact. They are the coffee chat and check-in, or the endless hours without looking up.

There is a reason why R U Okay? Day is about starting a conversation. What we need to do, however, is keep the conversation going; and ask the question on the right day. We need to build relationships with our people so that this question can be asked when it is most needed.

Check in with yourself, too

Our ability to ‘read the play’ and ask the question on the right day comes down to relationships. Relationships with our people and relationships with ourselves.

Importantly, our ability to read the play with others is linked to our ability to recognise the same symptoms in ourselves. It is about asking ourselves the question – Am I okay? And then listening for the answer and seeking assistance if needed.

Assistance may be a chat with a Mental Health First Aid Officer (an important and helpful addition to a general First Aid Officer within the workplace). Assistance may be taking a pause in your day to go for a walk and get some fresh air, or a short mindfulness moment or two in meditation. It might be a coffee with a trusted friend or colleague. It might be leaving work a little earlier than usual in order to spend some time with those you love most, whether that is friends or family. It may need more than that, but these small things are a great place to start.

You are not alone

Our ability to do these things for ourselves, and recognise when it is needed, will improve our ability to see and do the same for the people we lead. It will also provide an excellent example to those we lead that it is okay to not be okay. In fact, it is better when we are not okay to own that and speak openly about it; to ensure others feel able to speak openly as well, and for others to see they are not alone.

This is about creating a mentally healthy workplace for everyone, as a preventative measure. We hopefully recognise that we want and need this for ourselves, as much as we do for our people.

So, what do you do now? Are you okay today? If so, great, take a look around and see if there is anyone around you who is not asking this of themselves and see if they need a chat or some other form of assistance to get them back on track. And if you are not okay, know that you are not alone, and there is action you can take. Reach out, get the support you need, and be the leader you want to be in this space, too.

And, of course, if you need immediate or acute assistance, call a support line such as beyondblue on 1300 22 4636, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Leonie Green is a co-founder and director of the Corvus Group, a workplace and legal advisory firm with more than 20 years of senior legal and HR experience working in Australian and international companies. She practised as an employment and industrial relations lawyer for a number of years prior to moving into management roles in industrial relations, shared services and human resources. She can be contacted via email at leonie@corvusga.com.au.