Well-Being in the Legal Profession

A healthy workplace that is free from incivility is essential to one’s well-being. Examples of incivility that were assessed in the Study include being put down or treated with condescension, having your judgment doubted on a matter under your responsibility, or having little attention or interest shown towards your thoughts and opinions. The Study results revealed that almost 60% of national survey respondents were frequently exposed to incivility in the course of their work in the past five years.

The Study also found concerning trends around what the researchers referred to as violence, that include unwarranted criticism, undesired sexual attention, threats of violence, physical violence and bullying. Below are the rates for the percentage of national survey respondents who experienced each form of violence in the past year:

• Unwarranted criticism 52%
• Bullying 19%
• Undesired sexual attention 8%
• Threats of violence 6%
• Physical violence 2%

Unfortunately, the Study found that incivility and violent behaviour can come from the people you most frequently interact with, including work colleagues, clients, supervisors and judges.