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Most in-house lawyers are working from home these days, many are putting in longer hours than they were when they were reporting to the office—and they're anxious, stressed and tired, according to the Association of Corporate Counsel's latest member flash poll. 

The ACC wanted to get a sense of how corporate counsel have been coping with the altered reality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. As one might expect, things aren't so great. 

The poll found that more than 88% of 460 respondents who participated in the survey from June 3-8 have been working from home and 53% of those same in-house lawyers indicated that they are logging more hours than they did when they were in the office. 

Nearly 50% reported "feeling tired or having little energy" while also having trouble sleeping. More than 43% were experiencing anxiety; 40% had trouble concentrating; nearly 22% reported an "increased use of substances," such as alcohol and tobacco; and nearly 19% said they'd been depressed. Nearly 44% had anxiety. 

Unsurprisingly, nearly 50% of respondents reported having trouble switching off from work and nearly 75% were experiencing moderate to very high levels of burnout. 

A possible bright spot: Fewer than 10% had experienced a drop in salary, including layoffs, furloughs and reduced pay. Only 2% had been laid off.

"However, I think we're going to see this change in the future," Tori Payne, the ACC's vice president and chief membership officer, said Friday in an interview. 

The survey results paint a bleak picture. But the study will help the ACC in its effort to "address and help our members be physically and mentally strong going forward," Payne added. 

Asked if they'd taken part in various virtual "wellness activities" during the pandemic, nearly 54% of respondents reported that they'd attended a virtual cocktail party. Fitness classes were the second-most popular virtual activity. 

But respondents also reported that they were attending virtual book clubs, online yoga and trivia nights, which has given the ACC some ideas for future wellness events that weren't on the organization's radar, according to Payne. 

Interestingly, despite experiencing anxiety, burnout, fatigue and insomnia, 83% of respondents reported having a positive overall emotional state—most rated their feelings in the middle as "somewhat good," while 29% said they felt "very good" and 6% were in an "extremely good" emotional state.

Also noteworthy: More than 84% said they were generally positive about the work they were doing and their company. 

"I think sometimes you may feel positive overall about working for your company, but everyone has moments, right?" Payne said. 

She added, "Perhaps the moments of past stress and anxiety and insomnia are not pervasive but can happen throughout the course of three months and they come and go."

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