Most of us are guilty of having a gossip now and then. And there is no more potent breeding ground for gossiping than that of a workplace – after all, conversations are bound to occur over lunch breaks, in the corridor, or passing the water cooler.

However, is having a workplace that loves a gossip a sign of a healthy work environment, or a toxic one?

One study of 1,400 participants found that those perceived to be ‘office gossips’ were viewed in a negative light when compared to their non-gossiping colleagues.

However, another study determined that gossip enabled people to influence each other, form similar opinions, and build robust social bonds – as well as promoting cooperation amongst groups without the need for formal intervention.

What we’re seeing is that even though gossip is proven to be a tool for social cohesion in the workplace, its connotations can have negative effects on one’s reputation. After all, when we think about how ‘gossiping’ has been presented in popular media, it never tends to be in a favorable light (think shows like Gossip Girl or the endless litany of celebrity gossip columns).

But when it comes to employers being unsure whether or not to be concerned about office gossip, context plays a key role in whether it is acting as a force for good or not. Gossiping can actually be categorized into three different types:

• Positive Gossip – this is when people speak positively about others in their absence and share uplifting stories, leading to the building of trust and the strengthening of social bonds.
• Neutral Gossip – this is when someone talks about someone else purely to share information, and will often constitute mundane topics without any passing of positive or negative judgement.
• Negative Gossip – this is when someone is spreading rumors, criticisms, or unfavorable information about others that damages reputations and relationships.

When employees are engaging in positive or neutral gossip, this tends to lead to increased cohesion and camaraderie, which ultimately helps to strengthen the way that team members communicate and work together.

However, if employers begin to catch wind of negative gossiping taking place, this may be a cause for concern, as it can have a detrimental effect on their workplace culture, and can even lead to bullying allegations depending on the extent of what is being said. This can result in a workplace being dubbed ‘toxic’ and ‘unwelcoming’, which can damage the overall reputation of the organization. It is therefore important for leaders and managers to ensure that they are promoting a culture where the building of interpersonal bonds is encouraged but also aligns with the values of the company, highlighting that gossiping negatively is not something that is condoned.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you build a positive workplace culture that emboldens your reputation, please get in touch with us today.

‘Work from anywhere’ searches have risen by 145% in the UK, with recent research from MoneySuperMarket discovering that roughly six million Brits plan to use their flexibility to work abroad without telling their employer.

This rising trend has been dubbed the ‘workation’, a combination of ‘work’ and ‘vacation’ that is defined as taking a break from the work environment but not the work itself. Whilst these two things have typically been seen to be incompatible, the workation’s rising popularity seems to challenge this notion, as employees – especially the younger generations – are looking to find innovative ways to have the best of both worlds with their flexible working arrangements.

However, when we conducted our own poll asking if employers would be happy for their staff to work abroad without them knowing, 70% responded that they are happy for their staff to take a workation as long as they inform them. So, whilst the majority of employers also seem to be in favor of the workation, employees should communicate their movements to keep their employers in the loop of where they will be working from – especially if the time zone changes significantly.

It’s no wonder that we are seeing this trend emerge, as digital nomad visas have come into play in countries such as Italy, Spain, Dubai, and Thailand, to name a few. These visas aim to attract foreign employees who want to continue to work for their company whilst living elsewhere, eliminating any compliancy risks being breached by employers or employees (however, this would have to be revised if the employee decided to permanently move residences abroad).

While the workation therefore offers ample opportunity for employees to revolutionize their work-life balance into a comfortable blend of the two, there are a few things that employers need to consider to ensure that the workation remains a force for good:

• Workation Boundaries – it’s important for employers who are happy for their employees to take workations to not confuse these with employees taking vacations. Workations highlight that remote working employees are able to work whilst also being away, but this doesn’t mean that when an employee does take paid time off that they become accessible or contactable. Having those clear boundaries in place is essential for the workation to be a driving force for work-life balance and wellbeing support, as a workation is still work!
• Introduce ‘Core Hours’ – workations may see employees working in countries where the time zones can differ by more than an hour either way. If this is the case, consider creating a policy which introduces core working hours for all employees to be available no matter the time zone. This will ensure that there is always crossover but also means that those on workations do not have to work outside of typical working hours.
• Rise of Workaholism – employers need to be mindful that employees do still take time away from work purely to rest and relax. With the workation becoming popular, some employees may slip into the habit of not wanting to take time off and fall behind on their workload now that they can take a workation. But employers have a duty to encourage time off work in order for employees to recharge and ward off burnout.

Overall, the workation is shaping up to be a popular benefit that employers with remote workers can consider offering to attract and retain top talent. This is without mentioning all the additional benefits it has to offer around fostering creativity, improving mental health by working from sunny countries, and potentially strengthening the interpersonal bonds between colleagues if your company operates on a global scale. However, it’s important for employers to ensure that the workation doesn’t replace vacation, and to monitor the permanence of a workation so that there are no legal or tax implications that may have to be considered.

If you would like to discuss how we can help your organization design policies around offering workations, please get in touch with us today.

Having a digital avatar is no new feat. With the likes of Bitmojis, personalised emoticons, and The Sims games, the concept of creating a virtual lookalike hasn’t come out of thin air.

But with the world of work becoming increasingly digital, especially in the wake of hybrid and remote working, this begs the question just what role a digital avatar of oneself might play.

For one thing, we know that the metaverse boasts for its users to create their own avatars which they can control using virtual reality technology. The idea is for employees to be able to attend a digital office, surrounded by other digital versions of their colleagues, whilst still working from the comfort of home. Whilst the metaverse has since lost some of its traction, discussions around the possibilities of having AI-powered avatars have continued to gain momentum.

Most notably, founder and chief executive of Zoom, Eric Yuan, believes that in as little as five years’ time, employees could be sending their AI avatars to Zoom meetings in place of themselves.

This is based on the idea that employees would have their own ‘large language model (LLM)’, which essentially uses the underlying services of AI tools like ChatGPT to train the model on their individual speech and behaviour patterns which would allow the avatars to generate accurate and personalised responses to queries and requests.

This may sound like the plot of a futuristic sci-fi movie, but the concept of having AI mimic us isn’t as foreign as you might think. After all, Gmail has an inbuilt AI tool which can summarise and suggest replies to emails based on previous conversation points and common phrasing that the user uses.

However, despite the fact that LLMs can do passable impressions of people, there is no evidence to suggest that they can actually do useful work on behalf of someone. Not to mention the fact that if an AI version of an employee is doing their job for them, at what point does the human employee behind the avatar no longer become useful? Should an employer pay someone when their virtual counterpart is doing the brunt of the work?

On top of this, having an avatar attend meetings runs the risk of completely losing any possibility of fostering friendships and connections at work.

Whilst AI technology enables employees to work smarter and optimize their skills, are AI avatars one step too far in this technological evolution?

In recent days, the UK has experienced the worst civil unrest in more than a decade.

After the fatal stabbing of three young girls at a dance class in the UK seaside town of Southport, the spread of misinformation around the perpetrator of this crime, as well as far-right and anti-immigration rhetoric, has sparked a series of riots, looting, and violent attacks against people of colour.

After the arrest of a 17-year-old boy for the murders in Southport, social media posts began to falsely speculate that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker who arrived in the UK in 2023. However, it has since been confirmed that this information is false, and that the suspect was born in the UK to Rwandan parents. But these harmful rumours have led to violent rioting and race-related crime skyrocketing (on Wednesday 7^th August, there were plans for more than 100 gatherings of rioters), with many people finding themselves scared to leave their homes for fear of being attacked or discriminated against due to their race, ethnicity, or faith.

Sadly, the UK is not alone in experiencing racially motivated incidents of this kind, and when they do occur, many employers will have team members who feel angry and scared. Therefore, it’s so important for leaders, managers, and HR professionals to be providing the right support during this time:

• Flexible Working – reiterate to staff members that their safety is of the utmost importance to the company, and should they feel more comfortable doing so, they can work from home or any other place they feel safe. It is also worth considering flexibility around hours being worked, as some may feel more comfortable working earlier in the day, as many riots have been scheduled and taken place in the evening.
• Mental Health Support – the rising violence all across the country is going to have a damaging effect on the mental health of those who feel targeted, exacerbating feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress. Employers should remind their teams of the tools they have available for mental health support, whether this be external signposting or through an in-house Employee Assistance Program.
• Reporting a Crime – if an employee were to fall victim to a crime, especially when travelling to and from work, explain the process that they can go through to report this crime if they wish to and assist where necessary. For many people, it can be incredibly daunting to admit that they are a victim and have to report abuse, and so those employers who can support staff during that process will be instrumental to making them feel safe.

It is an atrocious thing when people feel unsafe where they live, and so it is crucial for employers to be doing everything they can to support the physical and mental wellbeing of those staff members affected.

If you would like to discuss these support strategies in further detail, please get in touch with me directly at therese@orgshakers.com

During our Inspiring Inclusion Webinar, panellist Kelli Hammersmith read an excerpt of David Brooks’s How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen. This inspired us to choose David’s book as this month’s reading recommendation.

David is an Opinion columnist for The New York Times, as well as being the author of several books. With his specialism being centred around political, social, and cultural trends, he has poured his years of expertise into this fantastic book, which explores the true and unkempt value of understanding people on a deeper level. As he himself observes, “The older I get, the more I come to the certainty that there is one skill at the centre of any healthy family, company, classroom, community or nation: the ability to see each other, to know other people, to make them feel valued, heard and understood.”

However, despite the importance of this skill, many of us can often fall short in truly understanding and valuing one another. The book is therefore driven by a series of questions which David endeavours to supply the answers to: what kind of attention should one cast on others? What conversations are vital to truly knowing a person? Which aspects of a person’s history deserve attention?

The answers to these questions are all drawn from various research from the fields of psychology and neuroscience, as well as the worlds of theatre, history, and education – interwoven with David’s own personal experiences and trademark sense of curiosity. This allows the book to act as a helpful and practical guide to fostering deeper connections at home, at work, and throughout our lives.

It is for this reason why we believe that this book is a must read for HR professionals and leaders alike. Our roles require us to understand the fundamentals of being human – it’s in the name! – and David expertly conveys not just how to ensure you are seeing and valuing the people around you, but also why it’s so important to be doing so.

If you would like to discuss how we can help coach your leaders to better understand the art of seeing their employees deeply, please get in touch with us today.

And in the meantime, make sure you grab a copy of How to Know a Person – you can purchase it here in the UK and here in the US.  

Burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an ‘occupational phenomenon’. Whilst it is not a medical condition, it has been classified as a syndrome, meaning a collection of symptoms or signs associated with a specific health-related cause.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress or overwork. It can lead to a lack of motivation, decreased productivity, and overall feelings of cynicism and detachment. Burnout often occurs when individuals feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands effectively. It can impact various aspects of a person’s life, including work performance, relationships, and overall well-being. Recognizing burnout early and taking steps to address it is important to prevent further negative consequences on health and productivity.

However, many people tend to confuse burnout with depression, but the reality is that the two are very different. Whilst there is some overlap in symptoms – such as fatigue and low mood – the two differ exponentially. The most obvious difference is that whilst burnout is considered a syndrome, depression is classified as a mental health condition and often requires a professional diagnosis and psychological/medical treatment.

This is because depression can be caused by various factors, including biological dispositions (such as genetic dispositions or hormonal imbalances) or environmental factors. Burnout, however, is primarily related to stress induced by work, and typically results from prolonged exposure to job demands paired with a lack of resources and/or support.

While burnout and depression can coexist or exacerbate each other, they are separate conditions that may necessitate different approaches to management and treatment. If you suspect that you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of either burnout or depression, always seek the right support. This can mean reaching out to your manager, going through your HR team, or potentially reaching out to your EAP provider.

As burnout is something that is likened closely to the workplace and working conditions, it is more likely for managers and employees to recognize signs of burnout amongst their colleagues. Here are a few signs you might spot when someone is on the verge of burning out:

• Increased Irritability – if you notice team members becoming easily frustrated, agitated, or showing signs of impatience, it could be a sign of burnout.
• Decreased Motivation – a lack of enthusiasm or engagement in tasks, projects, people, or meetings.
• Physical Symptoms – persistent headaches, fatigue, digestive issues, or sleep disturbances.
• Cynicism and Negative Attitude – a shift towards a more negative outlook, pessimism, or sustained criticism.
• Decreased Productivity – missed deadlines, unfinished tasks, or a decline in the quality of work.

Once an employee has been identified as suffering from burnout, it is then important to consider implementing some of the following practices:

• Encourage Work-Life Balance – be an advocate for setting boundaries between work and personal life. Encourage team members to take breaks and to take their holiday to remind them that you want them operating at their best and therefore need to ensure they are taking care of their well-being.
• Provide Support – foster a culture of open communication and support within the team. Encourage team members to share their concerns and struggles, and offer assistance where needed.
• Promote Self-Care – encourage team members to engage in activities that promote self-care, such as exercise, mindfulness, hobbies etc. Diet and water intake could also be explored, and promoted in the office through having water coolers and healthy snacks available.
• Delegate Tasks – ensure workload is distributed evenly and appropriately among team members. By delegating tasks effectively, this will help to prevent overwhelming individuals.
• Seek Feedback – regularly check in with team members to gather feedback on workload and use this feedback to make necessary adjustments.

By recognizing the signs and implementing preventive measures, you can promote a healthy work environment for your teams that allows them to work at their optimum. To discuss how we can help implement these preventative strategies, and offer training around burnout prevention, please get in touch with me at therese@orgshakers.com

As the tug of war between working from home and working from the office continues, we are now seeing a rise in return to office (RTO) mandates being issued across multiple industries. Indeed, one study has found that up to 70% of companies with flexible work schedules are planning to increase the days employees must work in office by 2025.

These forcible RTO mandates are expected to have a disproportionately negative impact on one group of employers: the ‘super-commuters’ – individuals who travel for more than 90 minutes to get to work.

Recent research from Trainline found that the number of super-commuters has increased following the pandemic. 47% of those who travel for 90+ minutes made the change either during or after the pandemic, and 84% of super-commuters said they were able to extend their commute because of their hybrid working pattern.

This makes sense – with employees expected to come into the office less, this affords them the ability to live further away from where they work and extend their radius of travel, as they will only have to do this commute two to three times per week. However, with RTO mandates rising, this will likely take its toll on those who have to now commute 90+ minutes each way on a daily basis.

Having to travel such long distances each day significantly increases the workday for these super-commuters, taking them from an 8-hour day to over 11-hours when including this added travel. This is likely to have noticeable effects on employee performance and engagement in the form of higher absences, lower morale, and increased likelihood of burnout.

One way employers can support their super-commuters, however, is by leaning in on the very thing that has made hybrid working effective – flexibility.

If employees are going to have to spend an extended period of time travelling to work, then one thing to consider encouraging is making use of that travel time. ‘Working from home’ has already evolved beyond the home with employees working from coffee shops, trains, and just about anywhere that has a Wi-Fi signal. So, if super-commuters are spending 3 or more hours getting to and from work, why not make this a part of their working day?

This removes the pressure of travel delays making them ‘late to work’, as they would have already been working on their way to the office! It also ensures that they are able to get home from work at a time which enables them to continue to sustain the work-life balance that attracted them to hybrid and remote working in the first place.

If you would like to discuss how we can help your business optimize your working styles and ensure that optimizes productivity, please get in touch with us today.

The importance of reviewing and analysing pay equity is steadily increasing. As companies continue to strive to foster diverse, inclusive, and fair workplaces, a seemingly critical component of this is their commitment to pay equity.

Sadly, it’s no secret that there is still a significant gender pay gap (women working full-time in the US are still only paid 84% of what men earn for the same job), and so it’s no wonder that we are beginning to see pay transparency rear its head on a legislative level.

In the US, whilst there are no federal laws around pay transparency specifically, on a state level we are seeing the tide changing, with eight states now making it statutory. These include states such as California (employers must provide the pay scale for a position to an applicant after an initial interview), New York (employers must include a salary range in job postings), and Maryland (employers must provide a wage range upon the applicant’s request).  

In the UK, organizations with 250 or more employees are required to publish annual reports on their gender pay gap, under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017.

And a huge development has now come in the form of a new landmark workplace law from the EU, the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which calls for employers to conduct thorough assessments of their compensation – including in-kind benefits, basic pay, bonuses and other incentive pay – and report their results publicly, as well as providing salary transparency to candidates. This directive must be enforced in all EU countries by June 2026.

It’s likely that the importance of pay transparency will continue to gain momentum, so those employers who are already challenging pay secrecy and engaging in reviewing their pay equity are the ones that will be ahead of the curve – and this is without mentioning all the business benefits that these practices can offer:

• Risk Management – as seen above, compliance is a huge factor when it comes to reviewing pay equity. Non-compliance can result in significant legal repercussions, including costly lawsuits, fines, and damage to a company’s reputation. So, conducting regular reviews will help identify and rectify any discrepancies, significantly mitigating legal risks (especially considering 20% of large UK companies have neglected to conduct gender pay gap assessments despite being obligated to!)
• Attracting and Retaining Talent – 77% of Gen Z workers and 63% of Millennials consider a company’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies as a key factor when deciding where they want to work. With fresh new talent now being drawn to companies that demonstrate a commitment to fairness and equity, those companies that are transparent about their pay equity efforts are going to be more attractive. Additionally, retaining top talent becomes easier when employees see evidence of these equitable pay practices.
• Enhancing Employee Trust and Morale – employees who believe they are compensated fairly are more likely to feel valued and respected. When pay equity is ensured, it fosters a sense of trust and loyalty amongst a workforce, which in turn leads to higher employee satisfaction and morale. On the flip side of this, perceived pay inequities can lead to dissatisfaction, reduced productivity, and higher turnover rates.
• Strengthening Corporate Reputation – in the age of social media and increased transparency, a company’s reputation is more vulnerable than ever. Public knowledge of pay inequities can quickly damage a company’s brand and consumer trust. Conversely, companies known for fair pay practices enhance their reputation, gaining the trust of customers, investors, and the public.

When it comes to the reviewing and maintaining of pay equity, we can help. By conducting a pay audit, analysing and processing this data, and using it to develop transparent compensation policies, employers will be able to remain on top of their compliance whilst also reinforcing their commitment to DEI and strengthening their reputation. In addition to this, we will train managers and in-house HR personnel, equipping them with the knowledge and understanding to be able to continue regularly reviewing pay equity to ensure that it remains a priority.

To discuss the support we can offer in conducting your pay equity review, please get in touch with us today.

The workforce is quickly filling out with Gen Z workers. With it being estimated that 20% of the workforce in 2020 were Gen Z – and predicted that by 2030 they will make up a third of the workforce – now is the time for employers to be investing in the learning and development of young employees in order to reap the many benefits.

Gen Z are shaking things up for employers. With their passion for inclusion, their demand for sustainability, and their generation being the most diverse to date, it’s no wonder that the world of work has felt the quake of their arrival. With a penchant for pioneering new ways of working – paired with their social media savvy to get trends like ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘loud quitting’ going viral – it’s important for employers to ensure they are optimizing their young talent by focusing on their developmental opportunities. And there are several compelling reasons why doing so is a smart business move:

• Drivers of Innovation – young professionals bring a unique set of skills and perspectives to the table. Their familiarity with the latest technologies and trends allows them to approach problems creatively and innovatively, and so by nurturing this talent, companies can stay ahead of the curve and continuously reinvent themselves to meet market demands.
• Sustainable Talent Pipeline – investing in the development of young talent ensures a steady pipeline of skilled employees who are well-prepared to take on future leadership roles. By taking this proactive approach to talent management, employers will be mitigating the risk of skill shortages and leadership gaps that can ultimately hinder business growth. By providing continuous learning opportunities and career development paths, companies can retain top talent and reduce turnover rates, saving on recruitment and training costs in the long run.
• Enhancing Engagement and Loyalty – 87% of undergrads say learning and development (L&D) opportunities are essential when evaluating a job opportunity. As the appetite for L&D is clearly present, it makes sense to assume that when employers nourish this appetite, they will receive an engaged and loyal workforce in response. After all, when employees feel valued and see a clear path for advancement, why wouldn’t they want to remain working with that company?
• Foster a Culture of Improvement – a focus on developing young talent promotes a culture of continuous improvement. When employees are encouraged to learn and grow, it fosters an environment where feedback is valued, and everyone strives to be better. This culture not only benefits individual employees but also drives the overall success of the organization. Therefore, companies that embrace continuous improvement are better equipped to navigate challenges and seize new opportunities.

Investing in the development of young talent is more than just a trend; it is a strategic business move that yields long-term benefits. By prioritizing the growth and development of young professionals, companies can ensure their continued success and adaptability in an ever-changing business world.

To discuss how we can help bolster your L&D strategies, please get in touch with us today!

With the scope of HR continuing to grow, the profession is witnessing an increasing number of HR teams that are struggling to meet this increasing demand.

In a recent LinkedIn poll, we asked our followers to share where their teams were facing challenges.

Almost half of respondents, 43%, said CAPACITY (having enough of the right people available when needed), 23% cited CAPABILITY (having the right skills and experience within the team), and 27% stated BOTH were issues.

Just 7% responded ‘NEITHER – we’re in good shape’.

This means that an overwhelming 93% of HR teams feel that they are not properly resourced to deliver everything their organizations need.

The impact of this on practitioners is highlighted in a study by HR software company MHR which found that half of HR professionals are on the verge of quitting due to burnout. Indeed, a separate study by Gartner found that 71% of HR leaders believe burnout amongst HR teams is more of a challenge than it was pre-pandemic.

And it’s no wonder this is happening. Since the pandemic ended, HR have been at the forefront of responding to a seismic shift in the workplace – the rise of the ‘carpe diem’ mindset has seen a significant increase in the importance of employee wellbeing; the ‘quiet quitting’ phenomenon brought to light important conversations around boundaries and work-life balance; and all of this on top of the mass adoption of hybrid and remote working across the world.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Also thrown into the mix is the need for companies to focus on their diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies, offer learning and development opportunities around the assimilation of new technologies, manage the change fatigue that emerges from this, and create a bulletproof Environmental, Social and Governance plan… all the while maintaining their ‘business as usual’ HR processes!

In our experience, the best route forward in a situation like this is to take a step back.

At OrgShakers we have pioneered the use of the Program Acceleration Office (PAO) whose role is to work with individual project managers to align, connect, and optimise resources across the whole team. In doing so the PAO creates a shared ‘big picture’ vision for the HR function based on a common roadmap, defined dependencies and impacts, and agreed outcomes. And once the organization’s in-house HR practitioners are optimally deployed, the PAO can objectively identify those areas where external resources are required.

We offer a range of services and expertise across all areas of HR, including fractional HR generalist and specialist support to bolster your team. So, if you would like to discuss how we can help with your capability and capacity needs, please get in touch with us today.

Change continues to be a prominent theme in the working world – so much so that employers are having to address the rising tide of change fatigue amongst their employees and themselves. That’s why this month we have chosen to read Reset: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval by Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.

Johnny is the president and chief executive officer of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and in 2018 was appointed as the chair of the President’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. With a deep understanding of the HR landscape, Johnny has written a book that has transformed the way employers select, retain, and train their employees in a business environment that is consistently changing.

In his book, Johnny pools together more than 70 years of experience and expertise from across a range of sources, and this is further propelled by extensive original SHRM research to deliver an honest, informative, and forward-thinking vision which allows leaders to reimagine their company cultures in the midst of upheaval. With hybrid and remote working still finding its footing, the increasing importance of diversity, equity and inclusion, and new technological advancements making their way into the workplace, employers need to understand now more then ever the best way of recruiting and retaining top talent on a global scale.

To achieve this, employers have to challenge their underlying assumptions and attempt to reset themselves and their organizational cultures. Johnny draws a lot on the pandemic acting as a springboard for this change, and as we continue to deal with the ripple effects that lockdown had across the world of work, it is more important then ever to understand how to prepare your teams for upheaval so to avoid the potential fatigue and turnover that comes with it.

In this sense, Reset acts as a call to action and a strategic roadmap which helps to deliver practical strategies for finding and keeping talent needed to make businesses thrive, and offers dynamic tools to continue to sustain that success in the long run.

To discuss how we can help your team combat change fatigue in more detail, please get in touch with us.

And in the meantime, to grab a copy of Reset, head over here if you are in the UK, and here if you are in the US. 

Supporting an employee through grief is always difficult; we all grieve differently. But it can feel particularly daunting to support the aching grief of a recently bereaved parent.

It’s important for employers to consider that a parent’s journey with their bereavement doesn’t always begin post-mortem. For parents who lose their children to illness, this process would have started long before. And in some ways, this part can be even harder to manage, as a parent will still be juggling work alongside this traumatic process.

During this period, flexibility is of the utmost importance. Employers who can offer as much flexibility as possible to a parent going through that process will allow them to have the time they need to prepare for what will inevitably be an intensely emotional time. It wouldn’t be surprising to see performance slip in these employees, but employers should acknowledge that this is temporary and heavily influenced by the nature of the circumstances.

Once a parent has lost a child, there are a few things employers can do to help them:

• Support Programs – employers should ensure that they make recently bereaved parents aware of the support programs that are available to them. While 79% of employers provide an Employee Assistance Program, only 27% of employees realise this exists as an option. It is therefore important to highlight the counselling and support services they offer, as this could be instrumental in helping a parent going through such a loss.
• Send a Token of Support – sending a small token, even just a card, can go a long way. As an employer, it’s important to focus on the human aspect of your employees when they go through a loss like this – and what they need more than anything is to know that you are there, you are supportive, and you are happy to give them the time they need to process. Receiving a card or flowers shows that you care and, in doing so, will help to alleviate any feelings of guilt the employee might have about being away from work.
• Keep Connected – a sense of connection with work and colleagues can be valuable when someone may feel very disconnected from everything else. That’s why it’s important that managers regularly check in with the employee whilst they are grieving. Fostering this bond can help managers discover any hardships that employees may be going through and need support with. In doing so, managers will help the employee feel valued as a worker, in the process building loyalty and trust.

It all comes down to emphasizing the ‘human’ in human resources. When an employee goes through something as unimaginable as the loss of a child, what they need more than anything is to be seen as more than just an employee, but a three-dimensional person. By doing this, employers will be better able to offer the support the employee may need during this time, aiding in their eventual assimilation back into working life when the time comes.

To discuss how we can help strengthen your bereavement support strategies, please get in touch with me directly at karen.cerrato@orgshakers.com