Business Resiliency: Consider Employees’ Well-being
Recently I had a family member land in the hospital with a serious diagnosis. I am 1,560 miles away from her, but am also the next in kin, not to mention care deeply for her. Nineteen hours after finding out about her hospitalization I was on a plane.
This was what was going through my mind:
Was she in good hands?
Would she survive?
What were my last conversations with her? (I’m glad I told her I loved her like I always do.)
Did my husband arrange the rental car and hotel? What were the directions from the airport to get to the hospital as soon as I landed?
What didn’t go through my mind:
Would I have any problems getting “permission” from work to respond swiftly to the emergency?
Did I have work flexibility to attend to her if needed over days or weeks?
Would I be able to work remotely if work needed to be done?
As a consultant for my own company with amazing clients the second set of issues were not a concern. Shouldn’t it be that way for everyone?
Business doesn’t stop for family emergencies and that is especially true for consultants and freelancers who often only have themselves to do the work. But we all also only live once … as do those who depend on us. How companies respond to family emergencies and demands will be remembered by their employees (and other stakeholders), potentially for a very long time.
Talk about an opportunity to positively impact lives and build resilient businesses with loyal employees who feel their personal and financial well-being matters.
The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Spring Update: A World In Trauma (May, 2021) states that “Employees (are) now considered the most important group to companies’ long-term success.”
We are at a nexus for both employees and employers; employees who care about business culture, empathy and connection, as well as their financial health, and companies who have the choice to recognize or ignore the changing workforce and what that means to their company’s health. Keeping the avenues of communication open with stakeholders to understand attitudes and perceptions has always been smart. It’s even more so now.
