Thought-provoking Things Worth Sharing - Issue #137
I could call this the Mental Health Issue.
For whatever reason, many articles on mental health this week caught my interest. As you’ll see in that section of the newsletter, there’s a wide range of subjects, but I wanted to share this first.
I think that headline makes an important point.
Welcome to this week’s collection of thought-provoking things. Each week, I’ll share information about careers and workplace culture, mental health in the workplace, talent development, and important information about privacy, security, and legal tech.
You can find out all about me here - Mike McBride Online.
That point is the recommendation to start addressing mental health in law school. We all know it would be better to address mental health issues early. Trying to learn about mental health issues during the first few years of a legal career might be too late for many people.
But why wait until law school? Why not as an undergrad? Why not in High School or even earlier?
There’s no reason. That article is covering an essential issue in the legal industry. It’s not just an issue in the legal industry; it’s everywhere. Addressing it earlier helps everyone.
There is no better day than today.
Careers and the Workplace
Q & A: Is Retirement in America broken? - It sure seems like it. We made it self-service while also making it more confusing. Like many things, that worked out well for money- and investment-savvy people. Everyone else? It’s been a disaster.
The Job Search Tip Introverts Hate (But Desperately Need)
Job searching is a lot like selling yourself. We hate the idea, so let’s reconsider what that means for us as introverts.
Yes, there are drawbacks to remote work, but there are also these - 10 Undeniable Benefits Of Working From Home, According To Science.
Training and Development
Earlier this week, I had an opportunity to attend an AI Symposium at LSU. One of the sessions was a panel with four students broken into two teams to plan the event. One used Generative AI tools, while the other did not. Surprisingly, Team AI spent much more time working on materials for the event. They had no experience with AI tools and had been offered no training. They were frustrated for many hours until they started to get the hang of it a little bit. I felt like there was an important takeaway from that session. Rolling out AI will fail if you leave new users to themselves.
I thought of that again when I read this -
Mental Health in the Workplace
Linked - Mental Health at Work: Managers and Money
When management harms the mental health of our employees, we typically respond by offering them yoga or meditation spaces or maybe a lunchtime session on stress management. We never look at the system. We offer them ways to better cope with the broken system, but we never take responsibility for what the workplace is doing to their mental health.
Sharing - How to take a good mental health day
What we need as individuals and what we need on a given day can vary. If we know ourselves, though, we can use the mental health tools we have, including a day off, to our best advantage.
Speaking of taking a mental health day - Blurt’s Guide To Taking Time Off Without Feeling Guilty
Also related - Rise and grind? Working late, volatile hours may lead to depression, illness by 50.
As layoffs continue around the tech world, this might be timely for you - Six Tips For Dealing With Job Loss.
Privacy, Security, and Legal Tech
Before Rolling Out AI - Check your Data
Rolling out an AI model might turn into much more of an Information Governance exercise than you've bargained for. Maybe that's a good thing, though. Maybe it's time to get rid of all that junk, not just because of the junk itself but because it'll make your AI rollout more successful.
Related - Spring Cleaning Your Law Firm Data
More thoughts on AI and the environment - Power-hungry AI is putting the hurt on global electricity supply.
I see many reasons to take this approach - How to Take a Cautious Approach to Embracing Generative AI.
As someone who runs a website where I talk about child abuse, I have a particular interest in understanding that internet filters often prevent kids from accessing extremely helpful information and support, so this is something I find troubling - Internet Child Safety Laws Will Lead To Helpful Sites Being Blocked; Just Look At Schools.
That’s all, folks. If you found something interesting in this week’s newsletter, please share it with your friends. It’s the best way to help support the effort I put in each week to share this with you.