Dealing with unexpected life events: 10 steps to supporting employees
Life has a way of catching up with all of us at times. Whether its a bereavement, divorce, having to care for elderly parents or becoming a new parent, life events can knock you sideways at the best of times.
Often people will struggle on but life events can impact our productivity at work, attendance, decision-making abilities, morale and even our physical and mental health.
Here are 10 ways employers can offer support:
1. Offer access to mental health support through confidential counselling. This can be through an employee assistance programme (EAP) or private medical insurance (PMI). It is important to signpost employees to any counselling services available to them and provide the relevant contact details so that employees can access these services with minimal stress and effort.
2. Flexible working arrangements can alleviate stress and allow an employee to balance their work and life commitments. For example, an employee may need to check in on elderly parents or accompany them to medical appointments. Flexible hours or working from home could facilitate this and cut down on the stressful commute during these trying times.
3. Provide practical support. For example, if someone is going through a bereavement or a divorce, help with related paperwork can help ease the stress. It is estimated that closing someone’s estate after death can take more than 570 hours on top of normal working hours whilst also dealing with their emotions and everyday life. By providing resources to assist employees with these tasks, it alleviates stress and frees up their time to focus on work and their personal life.
4. Having resources in place to help employees find childcare, care for elderly relatives, employ cleaners, dog walkers and so forth can be useful logistical support when employees are going through disruption in their lives.
5. Helping employees with research and signposting to other reputable resources can save employees having to do the legwork. There is lots of information out there and sometimes it can feel overwhelming. Having the support to filter what information is useful to an individual’s circumstances can save a lot of time and frustration.
6. Regular or even ad hoc check-ins with line managers can help an employee feel heard. It’s also an opportunity for an employee to update their employer of any changes in circumstances which may be affecting their wellbeing and work. Having these regular conversations is less intimidating. Over time, difficult topics should become easier to discuss.
7. Organise stress management tools and facilities such as breakout rooms to practice mindfulness or arranging lunch-time meditation classes can provide an employee with some much needed quiet and space.
8. Physical activities with colleagues - such as lunch time walking, yoga, football, netball etc - can release feel-good endorphins and help an employee look after themselves. It also presents the opportunity for the employee to open up to their colleagues and build friendships.
9. If an employee has caregiving responsibilities, an employer should consider how they can offer respite at work, which can be hard to secure at home. Offering perks such as meal vouchers, taking them for a cup of tea, letting them finish early occasionally, or even just a “thank you” can be enough to demonstrate some empathy in the situation.
10. Adapt the working environment or working hours to suit. If they have been recently diagnosed with a health condition which impacts their mobility or energy levels, making reasonable adjustments can improve an employee’s physical and mental wellbeing. It will also improve their ability to work effectively and promote an inclusive work culture.
Above are just some ideas to help employees navigate stressful life events. It is important to remember that we all have varying levels of resilience and by listening to and accommodating employees insofar as possible, employers can holistically cater to employees’ bespoke needs.
In partnership with ApiaryLife
Life stage and life event support delivered by experts with legal backgrounds.
