Boost your ROI and Give Your Staff More Energy and Resilience

by CBABC Work Life Balance Committee

The Work-Life Balance Committee has brought work-life balance issues to the fore with its 2009 Luncheon Series. The first two luncheons (reported below) were a big success, and, when BarTalk went to press, we were looking forward to the final event on Thursday, March 26, 2009, featuring Russell Hunter speaking on “Energy Management, not Time Management – The Key to Improved Performance.”

Our first luncheon was “Return on Investment on Health and Wellness Initiatives in the Legal Profession” on January 22nd, with UBC Law Professor Joe Weiler, UBC Research Associate, Arun Mohan, and Antonio Zivanovic, President of Corporate Occupational Solutions, Inc.

The presenters collectively called law firms to action to establish meaningful health and wellness initiatives and, specifically, to utilize firm-appropriate “hard” or objective metrics to measure their results.

Weiler and Mohan presented their CBA Foundation for Legal Research-funded study demonstrating local law firms can realistically obtain a 600 per cent Return on Investment (‘ROI’) on workplace health and wellness initiatives. The Weiler-Mohan Study and/or its Executive Summary are available by emailing Joe at weiler@law.ubc.ca.

By drawing on his company’s experience providing workplace health and wellness programs to firms in the Vancouver marketplace, Zivanovic provided proof of the Weiler-Mohan research results. He delivered ten key points that explained how to successfully design, implement and maintain these programs, and how to utilize firm-appropriate metrics to measure results objectively and ensure program sustainability. In his view, firms will obtain the greatest ROI by adopting a strategy that builds on these areas and tailoring a program that specifically addresses the needs within the organization.

The most successful programs, agreed the presenters, draw on genuine top-down commitment and participation from partners and employees, and rely on the multiplier effect of shared goals, encouragement and participant success.

Although it seems counter-intuitive to spend money on these programs in the current economic climate, investing in staff health and productivity now will help firms come out of the recession at peak productivity and profitability. ROI also tends to be higher on longer-running programs than shorter ones.

What are “hard” or objective metrics? They include increased attorney health improvements, productivity and profitability, reduced health care utilization and insurance premiums, and reduced attorney attrition, absenteeism and “presenteeism” (when employees are physically at their desks but mentally elsewhere). Even “soft” or subjective metrics, such as increased employee satisfaction, morale, and loyalty indirectly impact the bottom line and improve firms’ competitiveness in hiring and retention.

Our second event was “Overworked and Under-Powered,” on February 27th. Attendees learned from Diana Steele, Registered Dietitian, and Linda Robertson, Lawyer Coach/ Practice Consultant, how to boost their energy and resiliency. Steele suggested several easy and gradual nutritional improvements to increase energy, and answered attendees’ questions on controversial nutritional matters. Robertson explained the importance of resiliency in today’s environment, and offered several ways to increase ours, such as by taking control of our lives back from technology and interruptions, by defining – and writing down – our values and priorities in all areas of our lives, and by planning, far ahead if necessary, to meet them.

We hope you caught at least one of our Luncheons, and hope to see you at our next event.

This article was published in the April 2009 issue of BarTalk. © 2009 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.