The one thing that can bring down an entire office is that of a person bringing their personal life with them to work. While this is natural compartmentalization is important as an employee cannot have outside factors ruining productivity for star employees. With this being said helping employees through a tough time is imperative as the company wants to foster the idea of staff being part of a family. Treating staff as more than just a paycheck can help improve employee loyalty and simply is the right thing to do in terms of being an employee friendly company. The following are issues employees can bring into the office as well as how an employer can help them through this tough time.
Divorce
The worst thing that can happen to a person for the most part in their professional lives is have their person life fall apart. Divorce is the definition of life changing in immense and possibly negative ways. Allowing an employee to work from home for part of the day in order to meet with their attorney during work hours is an example of support a company can offer. The employee getting mail to the office is another form of support as correspondence with the divorce attorney in some cases needs to be kept a secret. Divorce is going to change the life of the employee so try to be as supportive as possible while their life is changed forever.
Financial Issues/Bankruptcy
Financial issues can be one of the toughest aspects of a person’s life as this comes with copious amounts of stress. Advising an employee on things like chapter 7 vs chapter 11 so they know their options is imperative. If possible, offer them extra hours to help lessen the financial burden that they have currently. Recommending them for a part-time job somewhere can also be a huge help as productive employees can stay productive even when working two jobs. Access to a financial advisor might be wise to provide for staff as a staff that is financially healthy has far less stress than one with various financial problems.
Defaulting On Mortgage
Financial issues can result in defaulting on the mortgage and a home being foreclosed on according to nearly every accountant we spoke to. People try to deny that this will happen and they will figure it out but this is not always the case. For this reason working with the mortgage company to figure out some sort of new loan terms might be the best decision. If the home has gone up significantly in value since its purchase selling it is the best option. Waiting only to default on the mortgage is unwise as the borrower will get nothing.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse can impact people of any age or background so it is important to watch for the signs. Production at a job where a staff member was previously thriving can be a significant sign. Sitting down and talking about the drop is production is important as well as looking for signs of substance abuse. Being late chronically, bloodshot eyes, or slurring speech can be a few of the many signs. Most companies have a drug testing policy so if the company suspects someone is using schedule a test for the entire office. Targeting one person can be seen as discrimination and might find other staff are using illicit substances.
There are plenty of things that staff can be going through personally. Help them where possible as being understanding can foster a family feel at a company. These types of companies last long term due to employee loyalty and working for the good of the company as a whole.
