Business/Economy

How you can assist your employees in addressing their concerns about the invasion of Ukraine

Q: The closing paragraph of your column last week struck a chord with several of our employees who emailed the column to us. You wrote, “What’s occurring in the Ukraine creates widespread grief. Are there ways you can channel your employees’ anger and sense of powerlessness by offering them avenues to respond in humanitarian ways that support Ukrainians fleeing the invasion?”

We like your idea but hesitate. One of our team insists it’s out of our scope as an employer. What can we do? What problems do we need to avoid?

A: Employee mental health, well-being and support are within every employer’s scope. As your company’s leaders, you can act with empathy and meaningful support to help your employees weather the emotional impact of devastation in Ukraine.

Loved ones in the Ukraine

Employees with family members and friends in Ukraine feel grief and despair. They may feel alone in their grief. Managers and coworkers who show they care can help mitigate those employees’ feelings of aloneness and powerlessness.

Employers can help affected employees by offering them unpaid and paid special leave, flexibility over work hours, and relaxed mobile phone policies.

Triggered employees

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Media images of the Ukraine invasion may trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans, refugees, immigrants and others.

Employers can help by training managers to support triggered employees. In addition to listening and empathizing, managers can make sure employees in need are aware of employer-sponsored assistance programs, as well as community resources. One such resource is www.alaska211.org, and employees who dial 211 can access a community-resource specialist.

Expats

Employees may have family members who are expats and stranded in Russia. U.S. citizens have been advised to consider leaving Russia immediately because the American embassy may be unable to assist them if they choose to stay, but some haven’t left.

Why not before?

Some employees feel shocked and angry that coworkers and many in the United States are treating the Ukraine invasion differently than other global conflicts or U.S. tragedies.

Employer solutions

Senior leaders or HR professionals can lead all-staff town halls or discussion forums. Workplace discussions allow employees to talk about what they’re feeling. These discussions can give all employees a sense of camaraderie.

Before you create a forum, make sure you have a moderator who establishes meeting guidelines, so that all participants listen to and respect coworkers who hold divergent views.

Employers can match employee pledges to humanitarian organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross that protect the lives of victims of armed conflict. This combats powerlessness with action and unites employees in contributing to a common goal.

Employers can train their managers to be aware of and to help employees who need assistance. At the same time, not every manager knows how to handle grief; don’t ask managers to take on the role of mental health counselors.

Employers also need to be prepared for employees to ask what happens to their job if they want temporary leave to fight in Ukraine or help refugees in Poland.

Finally, employers can commit to a company culture of empathy and compassion. As one small example, employers can create a paid time off (PTO) lending bank so that employees can offer PTO to those who need it.

Problems to avoid

Employers need to maintain confidentiality over what employees privately share with them. Allow employees to opt out of the above endeavors as not everyone wants to talk in a discussion group or offer a coworker PTO. Maintain a company atmosphere in which no one discriminates against or harasses employees of Russian heritage.

Finally, the horror of the widespread destruction and the deaths of innocents impacts us all. Employers need to realize employees are people, and not just workers.

Lynne Curry | Alaska Workplace

Lynne Curry writes a weekly column on workplace issues. She is author of “Navigating Conflict,” “Managing for Accountability,” “Beating the Workplace Bully" and “Solutions,” and workplacecoachblog.com. Submit questions at workplacecoachblog.com/ask-a-coach/ or follow her on workplacecoachblog.com, lynnecurryauthor.com or @lynnecurry10 on X/Twitter.

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