How do I manage staff that bring their personal issues to work?

We are kidding ourselves if we still believe people “park their emotions at the door”. Post Covid sees a very different workforce which requires flexibility, compassion, and ‘humancy’ more than ever.

Every team-member in the workplace is affected daily by external and internal variables. Good leaders who know their team-members well enough will know which variable may be negatively impacting them. 

Having strong workplace relationships means you can step into this space respectfully and start the conversation that is needed. Take your team-member aside to a confidential space so they can safely share current challenges. Stay curious, non-judgemental and listen respectfully. 

Supporting your team-members through daily challenges builds trust and respect and creates a very strong, committed, happy and productive workplace culture. Having difficult discussions is of great benefit to all – leaders can strengthen workplace relationships, and team-member feel valued.

Beware of compassion fatigue which is the result of sitting in someone else’s problems with empathy and being overwhelmed because you cannot fix the problem for them.  We need to engage empathic concern – the capacity to understand someone’s situation and step into an action-oriented outcome for them. 

However, we all have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to communication. If you don’t feel confident having these conversations the minimal duty of care is to point your team-member in the right direction of support by providing contact numbers for Lifeline, Beyond Blue or your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if you have one.