Gretchen Harders, Member of the Firm in the Employee Benefits practice, in the firm’s New York office, was quoted in The American Lawyer in “Burnout Is Going to Cause a Wave of Turnover Among Law Firm Leaders,” by Andrew Maloney and Patrick Smith. (Read the full version – subscription required.)
Following is an excerpt:
Of course firms have attempted to address burnout among employees through creative counseling services, and tangible benefits, such as vouchers or extra paid time off. However, those perks can feel too transactional, when people say what they really want is to feel a connection and feel valued at work.
Harders, of Epstein Becker, said whether you’re at the very top of a firm or a very junior lawyer, finding people in similar positions and confiding in them about your challenges can make a difference.
“Having peers to talk to, whether it’s junior lawyer to junior lawyer, partner to partner—when you have sort of a team approach to management, that helps support management,” she said. “That might be idealistic, but people need their peers to discuss things with and to step in at different times.”
