Breaking free: In pursuit of setting a work-life balance

As I keep reiterating, women aren't the only ones seeking a better balance between work and "life"--at on the other side of the border.

In yet another article from our friends in Canada,we learn that men and women are gradually working fewer hours per work week than they had in the past:

According to Statistics Canada, the number of men who put in a long work week fell almost three percentage points during the past decade: 13.8 per cent of employed men now work 49 hours or more a week. Men aged 55 and over registered the most significant shift (3.2 percentage points) away from a long work week... Men of all ages retreated from long work weeks during the past 10 years...It means that although the average Canadian male works more hours (39.6) than his female cohort (33.1 hours), the gap between the two is closing. Women are working more hours than ever, in part because more and more are entering the workforce as highly educated professionals...

And what about the legal field?  Is it faring any better?  Nope:

Law firms, the report said, have failed to modify their cultures and introduce family-friendly reforms such as part-time employment, predictable hours, job sharing or flexible hours.

The Ontario Bar Association recently responded to the report with its own submission, which concluded: "Many young lawyers, both men and women, find that the culture in law firms is not conducive to a balanced, humane life. Young lawyers want more balance in their lives. They are not willing to sacrifice all other aspects of life - family, volunteer activities, community involvement, physical and mental health - for work."

It's only a matter of time before these trends have a definitive and noticeable effect upon the workplace.  Employers who fail to acknowledge the reality of this trend will ultimately pay the price in costly and avoidable high attrition rates.

Comments

[Mitch Kowalski]

Things will likely never change at law firms - until there is a shortage of law students. As long as there is a ready supply of lemmings from law schools, or a shortage in lawyers in general, there is no reason to change.

As for the costs of attrition - they are very much overblown in my view. Not every lawyer will make partner and so, the firms have already factored into their business plan that they will lose a bunch of associates each year. The partners don't lose any sleep over this at all.

[Jill- San Diego Lasik Doctor]

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[Régine]

As someone who is currently at a law firm but not practicing at the moment I hear exactly what you are saying. My supervisor has recently changed and the process of getting this person (new to the industry) up to speed is wearing our team thin. We have been losing droves of people so the firm is slowly becoming aware of the situation.

Will this situation be fixed in time for me to stick around? Doubtful. The more ex-lawyers I meet around the city the more I detest the poor working conditions and unrealistic expectations.

[Lane Bryant Coupons Girl]

I don't think that the work-life balance is ever going to be in the right place unless you work for yourself and choose to have a good balance of work-life.