Five tips to strengthen legal community in times of isolation

Staying at home and self-quarantine are our reality during these challenging times. However, there might be powers in solitude you might have not thought of. The transition to work from home is, in fact, a great opportunity to refocus on what’s most important and form new habits. Of course, social isolation can be tough as we are not seeing colleagues (and sometimes families and friends). But the great thing about the legal profession is that it has an incredibly strong sense of community. Monitoring online websites, articles and blogs, Legalcommunity.ch summed up the following tips:

• Humanize  

The human contact and interaction are the things we miss the most. That’s why this could be the occasion to strengthen ties above normal routine. Every time you need to talk to a colleague try to make this communication human. Doing a video-call or phoning playing a bit old school: the important this is establishing a connection that goes beyond firmness but gives both the feeling of cooperation in the same challenging situation. Perhaps, also a matter that can be solved via mail could be the occasion to have a call and listen to your colleague’s voice and make sure he/she is safe and healthy.

• Re-focus  

Today, the ability to focus is a competitive advantage in the world. If it’s already challenging in normal circumstances, being at home can cause much more distractions. In other words, being in a different environment we have different stimuli and, even though we focus on work, productivity could not be the same. Daily, it’s crucial leaving a little space in our minds to do the hard thinking that is essential to good decision making. And, at the same time, analyze where your time is best spent. In other words, re-focus can help you to fill the void of solitude and better work with others.

• Rethink

The transition to work from home is a great opportunity to see what’s most important and form new habits. This is a good occasion to rethink the way your team is working, using different tools or finding new ways that actually make life easier even when the pandemic will be over. Brainstorming on new ways of working can also help not only to rethink past daily habits, but also to recreate a sense of community being isolated. Find alternative paths to strengthen collaboration and reimagining daily routine could be the milestones in this process.

• Get inspired

Participate to initiatives and ideas you never thought of. This could be done both internally and externally. Inside your organization you can set up some leisure activities to do when taking a break or after-work. You might think this is not your cup of tea, of course. But give you the chance to get involved and maybe find out more about your team. Externally, there are plenty of initiatives. One we have launched, called “how are you coping with the pandemic?”, invites you to send us your stories. It could be an occasion to tell how your work has changed and what challenges you’re facing. As they say, sharing is caring.

• Don’t go the extra mile

It’s good doing plenty of activities but you should set up limits as well. As a New York Times article underlines, the coronavirus outbreak brought life largely indoors, many people are feeling pressure to organizing a schedule beyond work. Maybe to have some physical activity or to cook and bake. This is of course a good thing that can help you keep up with the situation. But, surfing the internet, you could experience the feeling that you aren’t doing enough with all that “extra time” you have now. Staying inside, working all day and attending to basic needs is already enough.