WJM to offer free mindfulness sessions to staff

A Scottish law firm is seeking to put the workforce back on its feet in 2016 with a series of initiatives championing the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace.

From February, Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie (WJM) is offering free lunchtime mindfulness sessions at its offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh and will be sponsoring and hosting free “Mindfulness in Business” talks to employers, business leaders, professional associations and charities throughout Scotland.

The sessions will be led by Martin Stepek, who is also the firm’s director of culture and communications.

WJM chief executive, Liam Entwistle said: “In any profession, it’s easy for stress to creep in and when it does performance, decision-making, work-life balance can all suffer as a result. The practice of mindfulness equips people to handle the stress, strains and conflicts that arise in business.

“Having these skills is so important in law, where you need to give good legal advice but also have the skills, wisdom and insight to help your client during what can often be emotional, complex situations. Mindfulness has been shown by world-class research to help address most of these issues.

“During the last year, we have been incorporating principles of mindfulness to WJM. It’s my strong belief that as a firm we owe it to our people to make sure they are fully equipped to deal with the demands of work and achieve a life work balance. That doesn’t just mean being good at our jobs, but being good business people in the midst of the challenges we face. Mindfulness goes a long way to fit the bill and we believe it is a cause worth championing so that others in the Scottish business community can benefit also.”

Martin Stepek joined WJM in 2014, as director of culture and communications with a remit to introduce mindfulness to WJM, a role he fulfils in tandem with other interests and responsibilities.

Commenting on the feedback from staff at WJM, Mr Entwistle added: “ It’s not every day you introduce eastern concepts of wellbeing into a Scottish law firm and so we had a bit of bristling at the start from those of a more conservative nature.

“But the feedback to the weekly mindfulness newsletter has been excellent, and those who participated in the mindfulness sessions reported a firm grounding to their working day.”

Free lunchtime mindfulness sessions will start on 5th February. Spaces are limited so please reserve your place by visiting www.wjm.co.uk/events.