P2P

46 P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | F A L L 2 0 2 4 We all experience stress at different times. Consider this: It is 6:00 pm on a Friday. A business development professional learns of a proposal and pitch materials that a partner insists on sending to the client the next morning (Saturday) by 8:00 am. They quickly call IT to check that no system updates are planned for that night, which could disrupt their ability to complete the assignment. Downstairs, IT is dealing with a regional office Internet outage that has simultaneously made all help desk lines light up. At the same time, "client number one" is on the line; they have just bought the latest iPhone and want everything transferred to it before heading out to their weekend home by 7:00 pm. And upstairs, the Executive Committee is dealing with a hiccup related to the new partner group joining the following week, which, while solvable, is affecting numerous teams across the firm who are waiting for the timing update, determining the changes needed, and anticipating the need to work through yet another weekend. Oh, and did I say it is a holiday weekend … Sound familiar? These are among the stresses experienced almost daily at most large law firms. They require effort, may make some anxious, and do take a physical toll. For those affected, time off might be needed, which will undoubtedly help. But with burnout, a transition line is crossed. It becomes challenging for an employee to put in any effort. Feelings of hopelessness are overwhelming. Motivation is lost. Standard recovery tactics (time off via a day, weekend, or vacation) do not end feelings of complete exhaustion. Those experiencing burnout may be moody and irritable, indecisive, lack motivation, feel physically and mentally overwhelmed and fatigued, and are often sleep-deprived. To counter this, some may self-medicate with alcohol, over-the-counter or prescription medications, or even illicit drugs.

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