Bullying in the legal workplace and impact on lawyers’ wellbeing
SCCA Wellbeing Chapter – “Wellbeing Wednesdays” series
January 2024
By Geeta Thakerar, Co convenor of the SCCA Wellbeing Chapter
SCCA’s Wellbeing Chapter is to start 2024, for the Association’s members, with facilitating a dialogue for the in-house community on the prevalence and impact of bullying within the legal department workplace. The focus will be for having meaningful conversations on the overall impact bullying has on wellbeing of the inhouse legal community in Singapore.
Research has shown that workplace bullying has detrimental effects on those the subject of these behaviours. This also extends to their colleagues and the workplace generally. Often this results in ongoing departmental and workplace dysfunction.
Bullying can have various health implications. Research has shown that such behaviours maybe associated with increased psychological stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, an increased risk of cardiovascular health problems and sleep issues.
Bullying impacts overall productivity and profitability.
Cultural differences occur not only at a societal level but also between organisations and workplace culture.
In late 2019, the International Bar Association published its findings following a global survey undertaken during 2018 on bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession.
The IBA and Acritas jointly conducted what is reportedly the largest-ever global survey with circa 7,000 individuals from 135 countries. These individuals were across a spectrum of legal workplaces such as law firms, in-house counsels, barristers’ chambers, government, and the judiciary.
The findings are underpinned by the empirical findings of the survey, extensive secondary research, and consultation with stakeholders.
In a nutshell, the report showed that respondents to the survey conducted have indicated bullying is rife in legal workplaces, affecting primarily females, but male respondents too. There is a lack of reporting for many reasons inter alia the status of the perpetrator, fear of repercussions including this being endemic to the legal workplace. Policies and training do not appear to be having the desired impact. Change is needed. This report provides ten recommendations to assist legal workplaces and the profession, as a whole, in addressing these issues. Essentially, legal workplaces are not doing enough. Policies while present are not having the desired effect and there still lacks education to prevent and properly respond to bullying and sexual harassment.
In Singapore, on 9th October 2020 the Singapore Law Society held a signing ceremony for its members. This related to a pledge by law firms, namely “The Law Firms’ Pledge on Preventing Bullying and Harassment in Singapore’s Legal Profession.” This pledge was intended to provide a clear unequivocal stance to address workplace bullying and harassment. At that point twenty-one law firms in Singapore joined the Law Society in signing the pledge to ensure that law firm staff and colleagues are treated with courtesy, respect, dignity, and fairness.
Just to refresh - the said Pledge seeks to: promote and maintain professionalism; respect human dignity; and respect the inviolability of every employee’s person and privacy.
By signing the Pledge, the signatories committed to implementing the Law Society’s recommendations to maintain a work environment free from the toxic culture of bullying and harassment. Amongst other matters identified was the pledge to ensure appropriate training for senior management and executive law firm leadership.
The SCCA’s Wellbeing Chapter would like to have a conversation and facilitate a dialogue for the in-house community on this topic and implications on wellbeing overall. The profession needs to act, respond and help the legal profession so as to better understand and address bullying within legal workplaces.
If this is of interest, then please sign up for the Chapter’s Wellbeing Wednesdays in 2024. January 2024 and most likely, February 2024 sessions respectively, will be focused on this theme.
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