Life happens: how to support employees through good and bad
Many life events have the capacity to distract employees from work. Whether it’s a family member getting sick, a divorce, the death of a friend, these events usually arise unexpectedly.
When these life events do occur, we can’t expect employees to be at their best.
As leaders and managers, however, what can we do?
How can we support the employee to take care of themselves emotionally while doing their work - or as much as they can do given the circumstances?
Here are a few ways employers can support employees’ mental health through those big unexpected life events.
Mental health support
When an employee is going through an emotionally difficult time, they may not have the bandwidth to navigate their way to mental health resources - even if those resources may appear to be readily available.
This is where HR can step in to offer help, especially by signposting employees to solutions that can offer immediate relief. A good place to start is pointing them towards your organisation’s employee assistance programme (EAPs).
Offer proactive and broad support for your employees, including:
- Providing emergency numbers and websites that offer mental health services
- Sharing health insurance liaison information
- Reminders about mental health resources your company already offers
Employers need to promote positive mental health at work, to create a psychologically safe space where employees feel they can talk about any problems they may be having.
Ways to do this include:
- Understanding mental health and what it means for the individual
- Creating a mental health strategy
- Educating the workforce
Financial support
Poor financial wellbeing can have a huge impact on a person’s health and way of life.
A study by Mind found two-thirds of employees who are struggling financially report at least one sign of poor mental health - loss of sleep, poor concentration, reduced motivation - that could affect their ability to function at work.
Financial worries can influence an employee’s productivity at work, causing worry and distraction that will likely take away from their primary focus in their role.
Here are a few ways your organisation can support financial wellbeing in the workplace:
- Offer financial planning i.e. pension planning and long-term financial planning
- Implement financial wellbeing eLearning
- Utilise technology
- Create a culture of financial security
- Provide a financial wellness benefits platform
- Carry out pay reviews
Dealing with loss
Dealing with the death of a loved one will be one of the hardest things we have to deal with.
When a person loses a partner or parent, they may need to deal with their estate which will be no easy task.
Giving employees time away from the business should they need it is the first option. Allowing them flexibility to handle processes during the working day will also go a long way for their peace of mind also helps.
Providing concierge support to ease the burden following the loss of a loved one will be priceless.
Support for caregivers
Workers with caregiving responsibilities now represent the fastest-growing category of employee identity groups.
A fifth of people in the workforce are carers today, totaling 7.6 million carers in the workplace juggling both work and adult caring responsibilities.
The reality is, with longer working lives and an ageing population, the number of working caregivers will rise making this a life stage employers must prepare for now to retain key talent.
Of course, caring for a loved one, although rewarding in many ways, can be tremendously trying on an individual, taking its toll on their mental health.
Carers UK State of Caregiving Survey 2023 found 27% of sandwich caregivers have ‘bad or very bad mental health’. As more caregivers make their way into the workforce, employers need to have effective solutions in place to support them.
Support is within reach
KareHero offers practical and comprehensive support to employees on their caregiving journey.
Whether they become a caregiver over time or overnight, it is important they receive the support they need, reducing the strain they feel juggling their professional and caregiving role.
We can support both the mental and overall wellbeing of employees in a number of ways.
Employees need a personalised approach to support, tailored to their needs and situation, which is why helping employees with research or signposting reputable sources can go a long way.
To ensure employees can bring their best selves to work, we must be proactive in our approach to provide them with the solutions they need.
In partnership with KareHero
The UK’s No1 adult caregiving support service' for employees. Helping families understand, find and fund elderly care.
