“The current uncertainty about school-based learning and daycare options in many of the communities in the US, Europe and Middle East where our firm has offices is adding to the strain on our working parents in this extraordinary moment,” said Casey Ryan, Reed Smith’s Global Head of Legal Personnel. “The pandemic is affecting each family differently, so our Wellness Works and Associate Life Initiatives have developed a flexible but integrated approach to help our lawyers and staff work, support their families and care for themselves.”
The Family Support Initiative is designed to provide working parents or those caring for family members with information about the firm’s policies and benefits – including childcare, tutoring resources, leaves of absence, and flexible work scheduling options as well as a ramp up/ramp down opportunity before and after leave and a true-up benefit for those who elect to work a flexible schedule, but end up working full-time hours or more. The firm’s Employee Assistance and Wellness Works Programs are also delivering a broad range of physical and behavioral health services to promote family, parent and child wellbeing.
The Initiative includes innovative mental wellness programming, such as Unstuck, a six-week self-care series designed to help parents handle many of the issues associated with home-based work and their children’s uncertain educational future. Each weekly session of Unstuck explores themes related to stress, from how it affects the nervous system to stress management techniques that families can use anywhere. Unstuck’s creator, Kelly Newsome Georges, who has a background in psychology, is a lawyer who left the legal industry to pursue a career in wellness more than a decade ago.
“One of the biggest worries I’ve seen facing parents right now is how to navigate this new abnormal, because it’s all so bizarre,” Newsome Georges said. “Parents are drowning under the added responsibility, with fewer resources to grab hold of amid intense waves of uncertainty – particularly challenging for lawyers, who thrive on predictability and control. They’re stretched and stressed while trying to still give their kids (and clients!) a sense of stability and security. Unstuck is designed to help parents see their stress differently – and even use it as a tool to catapult them and their families forward. We introduce practical life skills that no one teaches us in school – and not just for short-term crisis management and support, but also to develop long-game personal and professional resilience.”
In addition, firm vendor Health Advocate will be offering new programming for parents, “Charting Rough Seas: Strategies for the Upcoming School Year,” a discussion of successful strategies and supportive resources for families as the school year begins.
Another key element of the Initiative is an updated Family Support resources hub on the firm’s Intranet that will be regularly updated with articles, webinars, and other information about wellness, schooling and daycare options, as well as financial guidance resources. The firm is also coordinating resources through its behavioral health insurance and behavioral health providers in conjunction with the Initiative.
In addition, Reed Smith’s employees in the UK have access to Cityparents, a London-based organization with a global reach connecting more than 20,000 working parents to help them succeed at work and at home. Cityparents includes a curated program of webinars/seminars, expert advice, dedicated COVID-19 support, online resources and mentoring online.
Each component of the Family Support Initiative is well aligned with the firm’s acclaimed Associate Life Initiative and other creative personnel policies and programs, including flex and part-time work scheduling, ramp up/ramp down and true up.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. Our belief is that by delivering smarter and more creative legal services, we will not only enrich our clients’ experiences with us, but also support them in achieving their business goals.
Our long-standing relationships, international outlook, and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for the speedy resolution of complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters.
For further information, please visit reedsmith.com.
