New Study Finds Limited Access to Legal Services Quells Overall Wellness and Productivity Among U.S. Employees
- 67% of employees who have legal benefits through their employer feel financially healthy (vs. 52% who don’t)
- 75% of employees with legal benefits feel mentally healthy, compared to 63% without legal benefits
- None.
MetLife’s Legal Access Study finds offering legal services improves holistic health of employees and bolsters Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives
As these challenges go beyond just impacting workers’ personal lives and affect their overall wellbeing and productivity at work, employers are now seeing first-hand how legal issues can impact their employees. Research shows that one in three employees say they lack adequate access to legal resources, contributing to growing levels of stress and burnout.1 Meanwhile,
“Our research has shown that workers’ holistic wellbeing has worsened in the last year as their need for access to quality legal advice has grown. Employers should consider the valuable role legal plans can play in their benefits offering. By offering a legal plan as a voluntary benefit, employers can improve the overall wellbeing of their workforce, help to deliver on their DEI commitments and support the ever-evolving composition of today’s workforce,” said Ingrid Tolentino, CEO, MetLife Legal Plans.
Legal Access Improves the Employee Experience
When employees have access to legal plans, their financial and mental health improve. MetLife research found that
The same study found that broadening access to legal services can also drive key business outcomes. In fact, employers who offer legal services are
By offering a benefit that covers a wide range of employee needs, employers are also better able to deliver on their commitments to DEI. The research found that employees with a legal plan are
Addressing the “Justice Gap”
While a majority (
-
78% of employees living with a disability, -
75% of those who identify as LGBTQ+, -
69% of those who identify as Hispanic, -
66% of those who identify as Black, -
And
58% of those who identify as Asian have also encountered a legal issue.
Yet while these groups have a higher occurrence of legal situations, they make up a small percentage of the
Workers in these groups are often disproportionately affected by a lack of access to legal services—an inequity commonly referred to as the “justice gap.” For instance, while
Supporting and Educating Employees through Legal Access
Beyond the lack of access to legal support, MetLife’s study also uncovered a general lack of understanding of legal plans among employees, which can contribute to the underutilization of these benefits. Many employees hold misconceptions about legal plans, including what they are, what services they cover, how much they cost, and how they can enroll.
“It’s not enough for employers to simply offer legal plans,” said Tolentino. “It’s essential they make it a priority to educate employees about how they can use legal plans to protect themselves in the face of the unknown, and as they approach life’s major milestones.”
In addition to improving employee wellbeing, employers demonstrate an elevated level of care for their workforce by providing increased education around legal services. Employees who use their legal plans are far more likely to feel cared for (
Click here to learn more about MetLife’s 2023 Legal Access Study.
Research Methodology
MetLife Legal Plans’ Legal Access Study was conducted in three parts from October 2022 to January 2023 and fielded by Big Village—a global research and analytics consultancy. Rainmakers conducted part one, which included a three-day online community. Twenty-eight interviews were conducted with full-time employees from diverse backgrounds on the state of legal access and their understanding of legal plans. Part two entailed interviews with three experts active in the legal industry (an EVP of DEI, a lecturer of business law and ethics for a school of social work, and an attorney/consultant), and one DEI subject matter expert (consultant and adjunct professor in the department of social justice and social change/consultant). Part three was a quantitative study of 5,023 employees.
About MetLife
MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help individual and institutional customers build a more confident future. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in
1 "The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Need of Low-income Americans.” Legal Services Corporation.
Apr 2022. https://justicegap.lsc.gov/the-report/
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Liz Harish
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elizabeth.harish@metlife.com
Source: MetLife