A poll of legal staff has suggested that more than half of all lawyers cannot stop thinking about work even when they clock off in the evening and at weekends.
The research carried out by international architecture firm Gensler shows that 57 per cent of lawyers cannot ‘switch-off’ from work when they are out of the office. A whopping 78 per cent of professionals added that increasing work pressure means they have less time to think than they had five years ago, with pressure on their time and information overload reducing the value lawyers feel they can add to their respective businesses.
The research also shows that more appropriate office design could lead to greater staff productivity. 78 per cent of lawyers polled said their work environment is very important to their sense of job satisfaction. However, from all the professions interviewed, legal staff claim to be the most satisfied with their working environment.
Private offices remain a valued status symbol in the legal sector, with 67 per cent of professionals saying they would prefer one, although law was the only sector where the majority of professionals still sit in private offices (66 per cent, with 52 per cent solo and 14 per cent shared).
58 per cent of lawyers claimed to be desk bound, but despite this, almost a quarter of lawyers say it is difficult to be creative at their desk.