MenuToday virtually everyone brings their personal life to work, whether it be through their smartphone or social media. This trend makes it even more important that organizations provide the tools to empower their employees to deal effectively with the workplace impact of family stress, separation and divorce.
When a family is unravelling, people are overcome with strong emotions including the fear of losing time and connectedness with their children. They have anxiety around their financial obligations and if they can maintain their lifestyle when assets and income are divided. They are confronted by how to cope with increased child care responsibilities when they have to parent alone, as well as how to survive the parenting and financial disagreements that almost always come with a divorce.
Added to this burden are the numerous hours needed to meet with lawyers and other professionals, prepare documents and attend court or negotiation meetings during the legal process. This process typically lasts one to three years on average. That’s if things go well.
If a separation becomes acrimonious, the process can take far longer and the emotional and physical impact on both partners can be much more severe. Over stressed and anguished employees inevitably find it hard to keep up their productivity at work, and can also unconsciously project their stress and anger towards team members and customers.
What support can organizations provide to their employees during this time to promote well-being and minimize the impact on workplace productivity?
Read Nathalie’s full article on WorkPlace.ca