Amongst lawyers, one of the leading causes given for mid-career abandonment is burnout. Promises Healthcare partnered with the Law Society of Singapore for a two hour professional development seminar aimed at addressing this issue by providing legal professionals with practical stress management strategies.
The President of the Law Society, Mr. Gregory Vijayendran, delivered the opening address to an eager crowd stating, ‘Burnout is one of the elephants in the room that we (legal professionals) need to address…Today we will talk about it.’
Dr. Munidasa Winslow, Executive Director and Consultant Psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare, shared an engaging and thoughtful presentation. He outlined why lawyers are so prone to burnout, how they can identify the early warning signs, and how to prevent burnout. Dr. Winslow also spoke about how lawyers in the areas of family and criminal law can develop compassion fatigue and suffer from vicarious traumatization.
Mr. Paul Seah, Senior Partner at Tan Kok Quan Partnership, presented ten key points on how lawyers can create work-life balance. He touched on generational differences, particularly among millennials and senior lawyers, and encouraged young professionals to identify their priorities and set their boundaries firmly to avoid burnout.
Here are some key takeaways from the seminar:
- Burnout is a serious problem that can lead to adverse physical and mental health and has a detrimental impact on families, relationships, friendships, and careers.
- Whilst stress is a part of everyday life, high levels of chronic stress will lead to exhaustion and burnout.
- Prevent burnout by engaging in active self-care on a daily basis.
- Being willing to seek help is not a weakness but a sign of strength, self-respect, and professionalism.
- The responsibility for preventing burnout falls on individuals as well as the organization in which they work. Individual changes should be supported by changes in workplace culture led by senior management.
Contact Promises Healthcare if you or your organization would like to learn more about navigating professional burnout and managing stress. We provide individual training, employee assistance programs, as well as workshops and seminars for groups.