What’s Walking Through Your Front Door Every Day?
Drama. Trauma. Crisis. And the people trying to work through it.
real people, real issues
If you were to ask a group of 100 random people to raise their hands if they or a close relative is struggling with mental health issues, or dealing with a serious illness in the household, or divorce, or substance abuse, a death, or any one of another two dozen real-world issues, you might have close to 100 hands being raised.
If we are being honest, we probably recognized ourselves or someone in our close circle in at least one of those scenarios.
The majority of the random people in this hypothetical are likely employees somewhere, and probably indicative of your own workforce.
Survey Says
Statistically, nearly one in four adults is experiencing a mental illness (NAMI), one in five is providing care for a family member or close friend (CDC), one-third are grieving a recent loss of a loved one (ETERNEVA), millions are impacted by addiction issues, and more than 14 million Americans have considered suicide in the past year (NIMH).
Taken together, these numbers paint a sobering picture: the challenges of life don’t stay at home when people come to work.
What can I do about it?
The question isn’t whether your employees and team members are impacted by these challenges; they are. The real question to ask is, how does a business owner or leader mitigate that impact in the workplace?
A first reaction might be that it’s not an issue for which leaders bear responsibility, and, anyway, it’s an impossible task. Right? Both responses are completely understandable, and that’s how most businesses tend to operate.
You took a position or started your company to make and sell products, not to deal with workers' physical, mental, and emotional needs. Besides, you have your own stresses and issues to navigate; how could you fix someone else’s problems?
The good news is that you don’t have to. Although these issues are dragging down your bottom line and affecting the day-to-day experience of everyone in your organization, there are small things you can do to reduce their impact.
It starts with something surprisingly simple: paying attention.
Small Acts, Big Results
Most people aren’t looking for their employer to solve their problems. They aren’t expecting the supervisor to fix a failing marriage, cure a disease, help overcome an addiction, or erase the pain of losing someone they love.
What they are looking for is evidence that somebody notices and cares, and sees them as more than a position on an organizational chart.
A sincere conversation. A genuine expression of concern. An offer of help where possible. A little flexibility during a difficult season. Even simple words of encouragement and small acts of kindness can have a meaningful impact on someone carrying a heavy burden.
REALITY CHECK
None of this eliminates the issues people bring to work, many of which you may never see. You can’t solve their problems, but you can create an environment where people feel seen, valued, and supported as they work through them.
The organizations that understand this aren’t practicing therapy; they’re practicing humanity. And humanity has a way of improving culture, strengthening relationships, reducing unnecessary conflict, and creating workplaces where people want to stay.
I would love to know your thoughts on this topic. Leave a comment below. And if you would like some help with building a culture that better reflects the human side of the equation, reach out today.
