It’s highly likely that the management team at your company has faced an increase in employee’s expressing their reactions to social and political events outside of the workplace in recent years. Some may have had traumatic experiences happen to them or someone close to them and the effects were likely felt in the office. It’s important that your leadership team is equipped with the knowledge and resources to ensure that employees feel understood and supported at their workplace while they navigate impactful experiences outside of it.

Supporting employees through political and social volatility

1. Bring in educators. The first step in establishing a supportive workplace is assessing the current company culture. What are the strengths and how to build on them. What about areas of improvement that need to be addressed? There are resources available to help employers do this and it’s a great idea to utilize them. An objective eye can spot problems that may elude the management team.
2. Require regular professional development trainings. When we think of professional development, we often think of hands-on trainings such as tech tools. But they can also include training in team relationship-building, responding to crisis, managing the employee experience and so on. It’s important for the management team to be fluent in these topics if they are going to be successful in cultivating a supportive company culture.
3. Develop a DEI program. As we’ve discussed in blogs past, these initiatives can help to improve equity issues in hiring, team-building and productivity, but they can also assist with interpersonal relationships and individual well-being by acting as a support system for the mental and physical health of employees. Examples of this include offering a mentorship program, regularly inviting employee feedback, consistently addressing employee concerns, and advocating on behalf of issues important to employees.

The objective for any employer concerned with how best to support employees is the creation of a safe space for their team. And by that we mean one that is conducive to their concerns and empathetic of the pressures they face both inside and outside the workplace. It should be a space where employees feel comfortable being themselves and where they feel their contributions and work-life balance is appreciated.

Being an employer, and a good one at that, is a complicated and sometimes overwhelming endeavor. It takes a deep understanding of both the legal requirements and relational competency to ensure their well-being. It requires an HR team well-versed in both and Eos HR is that team. We make sure small businesses are successful in maintaining the practices that support a productive company culture. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.

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