Renae Lattey: How to Bridge the Generation Gap and Take Care of Your Whole Team

The challenges of leading a top-tier international law firm that strives to be an inclusive, respectful workplace is a topic that Renae Lattey, of King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), is refreshingly honest about. 

“In the legal industry and the professional services sector, mental health issues are pretty prominent,” says Lattey, KWM’s chief executive partner Australia. “We’re seeing a new focus on what it means for the workplace. I’m not saying we’ve nailed it or that I’ve got all the answers, because it’s a work in progress.”

Lattey shared her views at the final 2024 event in Qantas magazine’s Think. thought leadership series, held at Society’s Lillian Brasserie in the heart of Melbourne. The panel focused on balancing wellbeing and high performance.

In response to a query about whether businesses risked employees making false claims of mental ill-health, Lattey advised a non-judgemental approach.“I’ve learnt that you should never assume,” she says. “You can’t tell how much somebody is dealing with in their personal lives – and a lot of people mask it in an organisation like ours.” 

Lattey urges leaders to use self-reflection and empathy to look after their people and build resilient teams. “Check yourself on any assumptions that you or a team member is making about an individual because you just don’t know.”

Similarly, she encourages managers to consider mental health issues as a mitigating factor when looking at an employee’s performance, as well as being open to honest conversations. “At KWM we are working on making people feel safe,” she says. “You can see people struggling but they’re not comfortable speaking up. They worry it might affect a promotion or feel like it means they’re not good enough.”

For the first time in history, there are five generations in the workforce. Lattey acknowledges that this can result in age-based stereotypes but she says the tendency for older generations to view young people as less resilient is nothing new.  

“Back when I was a young lawyer, the older ones probably thought we were soft,” she says. “Today, when someone from an older generation experiences something happening to their children, relative or friend, it makes them a lot more understanding, including about mental health.”

“When I started as a lawyer, some of us stayed late and worked hard to make our way up the career ladder and others didn’t. The young people I see coming into our organisation today are no different. I think their relationship with work and their ability to vocalise what they want is a little bit different but I don’t think they’re softer.”

Lattey’s commitment to fostering the wellbeing of employees extends beyond her own workplace; she has a seat on the board of the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia, which is dedicated to improving workplaces. 

“It’s a business-led organisation where we come together to share ideas and solutions,” she explains. Lattey is aware that not all companies can provide the mental health resources that a blue-chip firm such as KWM can. But, she says, “we believe that some of those resources should be made available to everyone to change people’s experience of the workplace for the better”.

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