Most employees try to keep their personal and professional lives separate. But when it comes to legal matters, separation turns out to be much easier said than done. 

"The Impact of Legal Matters on Today's Work Force," a study from Hyatt Legal Plans, a MetLife company, found that people grappling with ordinary personal legal matters—such as will preparation, traffic tickets, real estate matters, debt problems or family situations like adoption and divorce—bring these issues to the office with them each and every day. And business productivity is being negatively impacted because of it.

According to the study, people with these types of legal issues are spending an average of nearly three hours a week at work dealing with their situation—for as many as six weeks. Many workers even find themselves taking time off to handle their legal matters. Some (almost half of women and more than a third of men) even said dealing with their legal issues negatively impacted their emotional or physical wellbeing.   In addition, nearly 30 percent of those surveyed said their legal issues negatively affected relationships with family and friends, and many reported depression, stress, sleep problems and weight issues, all of which contribute to absenteeism.