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As we are reminded once again of how conflict across the globe impacts on us all, it is highly probable that many employers throughout the UK will have additional HR issues to manage as a result, similar to those that your client is facing. Below, we look at the issues that may arise during world conflict and how your clients can deal with them.
Employees with family in areas of conflict
Employees with family and friends in areas of conflict who are concerned for their welfare are likely to want regular contact with their loved ones. Your clients should consider how they can support affected staff, such as allowing them to make/accept personal phone calls during working time, move their lunch break, or slightly adjust their working hours with more frequent breaks, so that they can more easily keep in contact with friends and family. Your clients should try to accommodate these types of requests wherever possible and be alert to the fact that employees may be in distress.
Employee relations
Employees may have opposing views on what’s happening, so your clients should instil their policy on bullying and harassment. If there is a risk of arguments between employees because of nationalities or different viewpoints, employees can be advised to use the organisations’ channels to talk about the events and how they are affected.
Organisations who wish to offer support to those affected by world conflict, for example, by arranging collections of clothing and other essential items, should ensure that this is done in an inclusive way that does not discriminate on the ground of nationality.
Acting swiftly in mobilising whatever support is already available, and introducing it where it is not, will maximise the effectiveness of any actions employers take. This can start with sending a company-wide message to all employees offering support and reminding them of how to access it via the workplace.
Employee support
Your client’s managers will need to be prepared to have potentially difficult conversations with staff and be on watch for signs that these events are taking a particular toll on individuals. For organisations that have them, this is a time for mental health first aiders to utilise their skills. Raising staff awareness of what mental health first aiders do and how they can help will encourage their use.
Your clients can also provide signposts to external support that can be accessed. A reminder of the availability of employee assistance programs (EAP), where they offer this, would be appropriate in this situation. This could be helpful for anyone at all who is worried about what’s happening and the potential ramifications of it around the world. Beyond EAP, there are other, free to access, support providers such as mental health charities that may be of assistance.
Any support that is provided needs to be in line with the individual’s needs. This starts with a conversation: your clients should talk to employees and encourage managers to do so, to find out who needs what. It is impossible to know how individuals will react to what is happening, and therefore what their support needs will be, without having these conversations.
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