MetLife’s Legal Access Study finds offering
legal services improves holistic health of employees and bolsters
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) initiatives
As today’s workforce continues to navigate changing
socioeconomic conditions and a complex legal landscape, research in
a new study from MetLife Legal Plans found the interest for legal
services is on the rise. According to MetLife’s Legal Access Study,
more than two-thirds of today’s employees (67%) have faced a legal
situation in the past five years—this is particularly true of those
in marginalized and low-income groups.
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, 61% of employees
say they are concerned about the impact of a legal issue on their
financial health and nearly half (47%) are concerned about impact
on mental health.
“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 67% of employees
who have legal benefits through their employer feel financially
healthy (vs. 52% who don’t). Similarly, 75% of employees with legal
benefits feel mentally healthy, compared to 63% without legal
benefits who say the same.
The same study found that broadening access to legal services
can also drive key business outcomes. In fact, employers who offer
legal services are 12% more likely to say they have increased
productivity in their workforce, compared to employers who do not
offer legal plans.
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 25% more likely to say that they are satisfied with the
availability of fair/equitable opportunities across their
organization and 40% more likely to be satisfied with the social
wellness benefits/programs that they're offered.
Addressing the “Justice Gap”
While a majority (67%) of employees have faced a legal situation
in the past five years, only 7% of those have sought legal
representation. Marginalized groups are even more likely to have
faced a legal situation.
- 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 7% who have
sought an attorney.
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 24% of employees
indicated that cost was a barrier to legal access, that percentage
increased among minority demographics (38% with a disability, 34%
LGBTQ+, 30% Black, and 29% Hispanic). Perceptions of fairness in
the legal system among those affected by the justice gap are also
lower, too, with many employees in these groups saying they
actively avoid the legal system due to a lack of trust.
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 (73%
vs. 54%), MetLife research has found. Benefits communication
tactics, including lunch and learns, human resources office hours,
and spending time with diverse groups to understand their unique
experiences, support employees’ evolving needs and demonstrate
workplace equity.
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 the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe,
and the Middle East. For more information, visit
www.metlife.com.
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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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230918887534/en/
Media: Liz Harish 929-343-7473 elizabeth.harish@metlife.com
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