While it might be nice if all employees were able to keep their personal lives and professional lives completely separate, that just isn’t reality for many people. So when you have an employee going through a tough time in their personal life, it can often be reflected in their job performance as well as in their entire demeanor, both at work and outside of work. But when the livelihood of your company depends on the functionality of your employees, it may be in your best interest to do what you can to assist employees going through personal issues. To help you know how to best do this, here are three ways you can help an employee going through a divorce.
Try To Be Flexible
Especially if the employee going through the divorce has been someone who’s proven themselves as a good employee, now may be the time to extend him or her a little mercy by trying to be as flexible as you can for them. Divorces often mean spending time meeting with an attorney and trying to sort out a next move, which can happen during business hours. So if at all possible, Karen Matovu, a contributor to Personnel Today, suggests either giving that employee fewer responsibilities while going through a divorce or simply allowing them more flexibility in how they are required to spend their time.
Supply Any Available Resources
Dealing with the end of a marriage can be a very tough thing to have to stomach. It often means that the person is going to have to learn how to live an entirely different life, which can be very scary. So if you as an employer have any services available to make this change easier, be it a counselor for your organization or legal advice from your company attorney, Beckett Frith, a contributor to HR Magazine, shares that this might be a helpful resource to provide. Not only will this help to ensure that your employee is getting the best help they can through this tough time, but you can rest easier knowing that something’s being done to help that employee keep things together as much as possible, both personally and professionally.
Keep Performance As A Priority
Despite what your employee is going through, it’s still important that their performance remains at an appropriate level. So if you notice that things aren’t going the way they should be, Branigan Robertson and Jason Smith, contributors to TLNT.com, suggest that you be as sensitive as you can about the necessity to keep their performance a priority without being too hurtful in the process. But in the end, you are still trying to run a business.
If you have an employee going through a divorce, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find ways to cope with this change and be there for your employee.
Originally posted on April 3, 2018 @ 12:35 pm