Developing Emotional Support Systems at Work

In 2022, I predicted that by 2025, 60% of enterprises would actively foster socialization to combat chronic loneliness and social isolation exacerbated by digital technology. How has loneliness progressed? 🔍 Here's a snapshot according to Gallup's Global Workplace 2024 Report : 🌐 Globally, 1 in 5 employees report experiencing loneliness frequently, with those under 35 and fully remote workers most impacted. 😔 62% of employees are not engaged, while 15% are actively disengaged. 🆘 58% of employees feel they are struggling in life, with only 34% considering themselves thriving. ⚠️ 41% experience "a lot of daily stress." Loneliness and disconnection are silent problems — they often manifest as apathy, disengagement, or learned helplessness at work. So, what can we do to help? 💡 Steps to Consider: -Create a Support Network: Identify your team’s needs and implement channels to address them, such as employee assistance programs, financial planning tools, family assistance, buddy systems, communities, and ERGs. -Rethink the Work Environment: Co-design spaces for deeper relationships by mapping the employee experience and identifying changes in physical spaces, inclusive technology, and management practices. -Redesign Teams: Foster interdependence with collaboration platforms like fusion teams, cross-functional mentoring, and shadowing for problem-solving. - Recognize and Incentivize Goodwill: Acknowledge efforts with peer recognition/gratitude programs, making support visible to all. Implement an Inclusion Index: Measure fair treatment, collaboration, psychological safety, trust, belonging, diversity, and integration of differences through various feedback methods. - Train Managers: Provide managers with guidelines on the expected level of involvement in employee well-being. Train them in handling sensitive conversations, building personal connections, and evaluating mental health on a spectrum. Managers account for 70% of the variance in team employee engagement. Let's address these silent issues head-on and create a more connected and supportive workplace! 💪✨ #WorkplaceWellness #EmployeeEngagement #Inclusion #MentalHealth #FutureOfWork #Leadership #TeamBuilding For data see: Gallup's State of the Global Workforce Report https://lnkd.in/ecj8KUuw

Hello LinkedIn family! It's been a while since I stopped by, and it's another Tuesday. I want to touch on an important topic that profoundly affects the workplace but is often overlooked—#grief. In August, I faced an unimaginable loss: the passing of both my mother and younger brother, just ten days apart. It was one of the most challenging times of my life. However, the support I received from my employer, VFS Global truly made a difference. They gave me the space and time I needed to grieve—something that isn't a given in many workplaces. 📍The Impact of Grief on Work Grief affects every part of life, including work. Simple tasks can feel overwhelming, and the emotional toll can make balancing personal loss and professional responsibilities seem impossible. A compassionate employer can play a critical role in easing this burden, ensuring employees don’t have to face it alone. 📍How Employers Can Support Grieving Employees My experience highlighted just how important it is for companies to offer genuine support during times of grief. Here are a few ways employers can make a difference: 📍Adequate Bereavement Leave: Employees need the time to process their loss without the added stress of work deadlines. A compassionate leave policy gives them space to heal. 📍Flexible Return-to-Work Options: Allowing flexibility in work schedules or gradual reintegration into the workplace can ease the transition and reduce anxiety. 📍Access to Emotional Support: Employers should ensure that employees have access to resources like counseling and therapy services or Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). 📍Cultivate a Compassionate Culture: Normalize conversations about grief and promote peer support. Employees should feel comfortable discussing their emotional struggles without fear of judgment. 📍The Role of HR: Beyond Policies HR has a pivotal role in promoting employee well-being, particularly during times of personal loss. It’s not just about having policies on paper or the typical monetary support. Managers and HR professionals should foster a culture of empathy, training staff to handle sensitive situations and promoting mental health awareness. 📍What Helped Me I’m incredibly grateful to VFS Global for their flexibility and understanding. Their support during my time of grief showed me what compassionate leadership looks like. They reminded me of the profound responsibility employers have in creating environments where employees feel valued and cared for—especially during life’s most difficult moments. Grief is a part of life, and how an employer responds can make a world of difference. HR should lead the way in creating a culture that goes beyond policies to embrace compassion and care. I want to encourage more employers to take meaningful steps in prioritizing employee well-being during times of grief. #BTW, I am fine and doing well, do enjoy your day! #EmployeeWellbeing #GriefSupport #CompassionateLeadership #HR #MentalHealthAtWork

In light of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, I think it’s important that we, as leaders and colleagues, acknowledge the emotional toll such events can have on people. Whether employees are directly from the region or have family, friends, or cultural ties, they may be carrying invisible burdens: fear, grief, anger, helplessness. And in multinational teams, it’s even more important to foster empathy over division, support over silence, and humanity over politics. As someone with all my family and friends in the region, the current situation weighs heavily on me — both personally and professionally. In navigating this difficult time, I’ve found a few actions particularly helpful, and I believe they can support others too: • Create Safe Spaces: Open, judgment-free environments can make a big difference. Hosting listening circles or drop-in sessions within Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) offers employees a place to process, connect, or simply be heard. Let’s remember — ERGs shouldn’t only be for celebrations and social events. In times of crisis, they can be a powerful source of comfort and solidarity. Even something as simple as a “Coffee and Camaraderie” session can foster meaningful, healing conversations. • Be mindful of assumptions: Avoid generalizations about people based on their nationality or background. Each person’s experience is unique. • Offer flexibility: Some employees may need time off, lighter workloads, or mental health support. Compassion is powerful. • Lead with empathy: Even a simple “How are you doing with everything going on?” can open the door to support. • Provide resources: Ensure employees know how to access EAPs, counseling, or support lines — and signal that it’s okay to use them. This is not about taking sides. It’s about recognizing our shared humanity and being present for one another — especially when the world feels heavy. Let’s choose compassion. #Leadership #Empathy #GlobalTeams #MentalHealthAtWork #MiddleEast #Inclusion

Life happens. Anxiety, divorce, family crises—we all go through tough phases. In the restaurant industry, the default response is often to let struggling employees go and hire replacements. High turnover is just "part of the business." But here's what I've learned: when someone on my team is going through a difficult transition, that's exactly when they need support most. So instead of replacing them, we lean in. We've built systems to help people navigate their personal challenges while staying connected to work. Sometimes that means adjusted schedules, sometimes it's just being patient while they figure things out. The result? We have team members who've been with us for years. When we do hire new people, they see how we treat each other, and they want to stay too. It's not always easy, and it doesn't work in every situation. But I've found that treating employees as whole people—not just their job functions—has created something special. Turnover is expensive. Training is time-consuming. But investing in people when they're struggling? That builds loyalty you can't buy, and ROI you can’t otherwise generate. #buildingsystems #mentalhealth #mentalhealthatwork #supportingemployees #employeesupport

Imagine one of your team members, a strong performer in the past, is struggling. Her father is undergoing cancer treatment and she is the primary caregiver. Over the last six months, her performance has dipped significantly. Other members are stepping in, however it is creating additional pressure and affecting the overall team performance. Unfortunately, you cannot bring in additional help. So, how do you support your employee through this challenging time without impacting the overall team performance? In my recent poll on LinkedIn, 86% respondents shared that they would appeal to the team for support. Here’s how I have dealt with delicate situations like this: 1️⃣ Have an empathetic conversation with the employee - Acknowledge her strengths, contributions and current struggles. - Encourage her to open up, including worries about impact on career - Discuss likely solutions to ease her workload temporarily, ex: adjustable or lower work hours, role adjustments etc. - Offer emotional health support like counselling 2️⃣ Assure your support. Times like this seem to last forever and people get flustered. - Assure that any temporary changes in the role, or workload or hours will not have long-term impact - Help her reassess and realign her short and long term priorities 3️⃣ Appeal to the team - Reprioritize the tasks, some non-critical ones may be dropped or outsourced - Reassign tasks to other members in an innovative way, say assigning work based on a person’s interest or development goals. - Role model by personally taking over few tasks What support have you received from your manager at difficult times? What could have been done differently? #manager #empathy #leadership

My ex-colleague, Neha, was so emotional that she literally cried if anyone disagreed with her. However she was also kind, hardworking, and caring. She always helped her teammates, listened to their problems, and kept the team happy. Clients liked her too because she was polite and understanding. But when it was time for a promotion, one senior manager said, “Neha is too emotional. Can she handle pressure?” Her team leader, Rajeev, replied, “Yes, she is emotional—but that is her strength. She listens, helps others, and doesn’t get into office politics. Our team is happy because of her.” The management listened. Neha got promoted. Later, she helped her company start a mental wellness program and became a guide for many younger employees. Dear Companies: -> Respect Emotional People: They make the team stronger and more united. ->Train Managers: Teach leaders how to understand and support emotional employees. ->Support Mental Health: Give employees access to counselling or relaxation sessions. ->Reward Kindness: Appreciate those who help others and work with a clean heart. ->Say No to Office Politics: Make rules clear and fair so no one needs to play dirty games. Dear Emotional Employees, ->Be Proud of Your Feelings: Your kindness is a gift—use it well. ->Set Limits: Help others, but don’t forget to take care of yourself. ->Ask for Feedback: Check how others see you, and improve if needed. ->Stay Mentally Strong: Try meditation or journaling to manage stress. ->Make Good Connections: Avoid office politics, but stay friendly and helpful. In today’s fast-moving workplaces, emotional employees bring heart, balance, and honesty. Instead of seeing them as weak, companies should understand their real value. These employees care about people, avoid drama, and often become the quiet strength of a team. When they feel respected and supported, they give their best—and help others do the same. A workplace that values emotions is not just kind, it is smarter. #emotionalwellbeing #mentalhealth #leadership

✨ More employees than ever are talking about #stress, #burnout, and emotional wellbeing—but too often, they still don’t feel truly supported at work. As leaders, we can’t settle for “check-the-box” #wellness programs that look good on paper but fail to address the real, human challenges our teams face every day. Supporting #mentalhealth at work isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s foundational to engagement, innovation, and sustainable performance. That’s why, in my work with organizations, I use a science-backed framework grounded in #neuroscience and #behavioralchange to help leaders move beyond surface-level initiatives and build cultures that support emotional well-being. Here are a few of the questions I ask clients to consider: 🧠 How well do your leaders understand the neuroscience of stress, resilience, and emotional regulation? 💬 Are you equipping managers with the skills to have real, empathetic conversations about wellbeing? ⚙️ How is mental health built into your systems, not just your slogans? 🌱 Do employees feel psychologically safe to ask for what they need? 🔥 Are you truly preventing burnout, or just reacting to it? If you want to go beyond slogans and create a culture where mental health is an integral part of your daily operations, I’d love to share more about the neuroscience-based frameworks and practical strategies I bring to teams. Together, we can ensure that supporting your people isn’t just a program, it’s part of your leadership DNA. If you’re an HR leader or executive ready to have this conversation, let’s talk. https://lnkd.in/dEsTfQ5Q #Leadership #Wellbeing #Neuroscience #BurnoutPrevention #CultureChange #HumanCenteredLeadership