Do you know how to provide emotional support for employees in personal crisis? We have all faced difficulties in our personal lives that have impacted our work performance. It’s not pleasant. Now, from a business perspective, imagine the impact of multiple employees going through these difficulties simultaneously. The answer? Chaos at work.
In the work environment, especially in enterprises with a wide diversity of people, it is inevitable that employees not only face challenging personal situations that can affect their mental well-being and job performance but also that these experiences coincide for several employees simultaneously.
This is why as leaders, managers, or team leaders, it is crucial to learn how to provide emotional support for employees in personal crises and that this intervention is not only appropriate but also empathetic and personalised.
In this article, we explore some effective strategies to help you provide emotional support for employees in personal crisis, as well as practical resources for HR managers and team leaders to promote a resilient and supportive work environment. Through these practices, we aim not only to support employees in their time of need, but also to strengthen cohesion and work culture.
Additionally, at ifeel, we have created this ‘First Aid Kit for HR managers’, which provides you with key tools to deal with critical situations in the workplace. Download it for free here.
The importance of emotional support for employees in personal crisis
Employees facing a personal crisis, such as the loss of a loved one, can go through a wide range of emotions that impact their performance and overall well-being. This reaction is completely natural. However, the crucial question is: do these employees have access to resources or support to help them through the situation they are experiencing?
The presence or absence of such resources can determine how these difficulties will affect their professional life in the future: will they decrease their performance, will they leave their job, will they leave their job? Any of these scenarios is a bad prediction for enterprises, which is why it is so important that organisations have the knowledge to provide emotional support for employees in personal crisis.
In fact, studies have found that when enterprises offer employee support or well-being programmes, absenteeism costs are reduced by approximately $2.73 for every $1 spent. This underscores the importance of prioritising employees’ mental well-being not only for their health, but also for organisational benefit.
Emotional support for employees in personal crisis
As organisations seek to cultivate a healthy and resilient work environment, it is vital to implement emotional support strategies for employees. These strategies not only help employees navigate their personal crises, but also strengthen organisational culture and promote a sense of community and empathy in the workplace.
Below, we explore some key approaches to providing emotional support to those facing difficult times.
1. Active listening
The first step in providing emotional support is to take the time to actively listen to the affected employee to understand what their particular needs are. Scheduling individual meetings for employees to express their emotions and needs is essential to designing a personalised support plan.
Flexibility and understanding
In times of crisis, employees may need to make temporary adjustments to their workload or schedule in order to deal with any emergencies or periods of difficulty they may be experiencing. For this reason, offering flexibility in the workplace can help alleviate some of the stress associated with work obligations, and provide emotional support for employees in personal crisis.
3. Provide access to well-being resources.
After listening to the employee, it is helpful to work together to create a well-being plan that outlines concrete short- and long-term actions to support their emotional recovery.
This may include facilitating access to psycho-education resources, mental well-being support services such as those provided by ifeel psychologists, or creating supportive spaces between co-workers.
Note for leaders 🔎
As a leader, playing a crucial role in providing emotional support to employees in personal crisis is more relevant than ever; fostering an environment where employees feel safe to express their difficulties is essential.
However, remember that this requires not only empathy, but also the implementation of clear and accessible support policies. Offering resources such as counselling and flex time can make a big difference.
Become a pillar of trust and understanding for your team, and you will see how the fabric of your organisation is strengthened.
Putting it into practice: Exercises for providing emotional support to employees in personal crisis
While the best resource that can be provided to employees is access to expert psychologists who can assess their individual case and guide them through the personal process. In enterprises, simple exercises can be designed to help employees know that they are not alone, and that they have the support of their team.
This proactive approach can include implementing practical exercises, such as breathing or mindfulness strategies, that promote mental well-being in the workplace.
A recommended practical exercise is ‘positive visualisation’, which helps employees to focus their minds on positive images in order to reduce some stress. This exercise can be done in the following way:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Find a quiet place | The employee should find a place free of distractions. |
| Focus on breathing | Breathe deeply and calmly. |
| Visualise | Imagine a place that makes them feel safe and happy. |
| Stay calm | Remain in this state for at least 5 minutes, focusing on breathing and connecting with the here and now. |
This simple exercise can be done quickly in any space, and is an excellent tool to provide emotional support for employees in personal crisis.
‘We will continue to work together with the ifeel team to develop a mental well-being strategy in line with the needs of all Emasagra employees.’
Isabel Ruiz Maldonado, Head of Integrated Management Systems at Emasagra, an ifeel partner company.
Trust the experts
At ifeel, we know that providing emotional support for employees in personal crisis is a critical responsibility for business leaders. By developing personalised well-being plans, offering flexibility and actively listening to employees, organisations can create a healthier and more resilient working environment.
To help in this process, ifeel has created this ‘First Aid Kit for HR Managers’, which provides you with key tools to deal with critical situations in the workplace. Download it for free here.
To support enterprises in this process, our team of expert workplace well-being psychologists has created a mental well-being solution for businesses that improves talent retention, reduces presenteeism, and combats employee stress.
With our mental well-being solution, your company’s HR managers can receive personalised, data-driven advice on improving mental health at work. In addition, this solution offers employees a 360° mental well-being solution structured at different levels according to their needs. Try our solution now to see how it could help you.
We hope you found this article about the importance of emotional support for employees in personal crisis interesting. If you would like more information about our mental well-being solution for enterprises, just ask us and we will get in touch with your team as soon as possible.
