Supporting our people in times of war

Supporting our people in times of war

Eva Lepkeviciute | Graduate Consultant | May, 2022

An unexpected Covid-19 pandemic significantly shook the world. Hundreds of thousands of lives lost, millions of people infected with the disease, disruption of communities and individual lives and an overall change of normality1. Numerous lockdowns, social isolation and uncertainty about the future has caused long-lasting negative effect on some people’s mental wellbeing2.

It is well documented that the poor mental wellbeing of people impacted by crisis-related implications has had a substantial effect on employees’ performance and overall productivity at work3. In these challenging times, organisations cannot ignore the human element of their operations. Whilst some people’s trust in the government and media has been declining, employees have increased their expectations in organisations to be a source of information and support for global issues4,. The pandemic put many businesses on a learning curve in terms of what needed to be done to help people in times of crisis. Mind Share Partners 2021 Mental Health Report5 highlighted that workers who felt emotionally supported by their employers during the Covid-19 pandemic, overall showed better mental health and engagement outcomes.

While we are still living in a pandemic-related crisis scenario, a different tragic humanitarian crisis has added another toll. On 24th February, Russia began an horrific military invasion of Ukraine, causing many of us to feel once again scared, anxious and uncertain about the future. The unfolding war in Ukraine and its triggering media headlines may have affected those employees with direct and/or in-direct relations to it. Workers with family and friends in Ukraine and Russia, Eastern Europeans who have a related historical context and other workforce groups, such as refugees, immigrants and veterans may have experienced high levels of distress and anxiety.

The war in Ukraine continues and it is impossible to predict the future of it. However, some employees are struggling now and leaders of organisations have an opportunity to show their people that they are supported and help is available to them. There is no perfect way to lead effectively under these challenging times, some basic desired leadership steps can be undertaken to support the workforce's wellbeing.

Let’s show more humanity when humanity is tested – Tony Jamous, CEO, Oyster

Let’s acknowledge what’s happening

Many businesses may not be directly affected by the Ukrainian war, however, leaders should not ignore the fact that their employees might be. Organisations have to be open to talking about it and acknowledging the reality of the situation. They should explain to their workforce whether the situation will have any implications on future business operations.

Organisations have an obligation to prioritise their workforce’s safety, health and wellbeing. Issuing a company-wide message to highlight available support options creates an avenue for employees to reach out to their leaders6. There are many ways this can be achieved such as email, intranet sites, notice boards or discussions during team or one-to-one meetings.

Culture of support

The pandemic showed that uncertainty and excessive media headlines can cause anxiety, stress and depression2. Today, we see a similar situation with news reporting the Ukraine-Russian war 24/7 leaving many people afraid of how it may affect their future lives.

Some employees will be experiencing poor mental wellbeing due to the current situation, thus, creating a culture of support is vital in keeping your people engaged and positive7. Team leaders should do frequent checks on their employees and offer supportive listening by ensuring that people feel heard. Communication should become routine and be maintained throughout the crisis. Studies have shown that support from peers and managers helps decrease levels of anxiety and improve overall wellbeing7,8. Additionally, leaders, if comfortable, could share their experiences and emotions as reciprocation can be a powerful tool to build trust between employee and employer9,10.

It is important to understand that not every person will directly show the symptoms of poor mental health. However, it might be noticed in situations at work, such as late appearance in meetings, social withdrawal and a drop in performance11. Thus, it might be useful to implement mental health first aid training for the whole team to be able to understand each other and notice the signs of anxiety. In addition, CIPD published The People’s Manager’s Guide to Mental Health to help managers and provides the information, resources and tools they need to effectively support mental health at work.

Keeping psychologically safe work environment

War is a very complex situation and many people may express different views and opinions on the current situation, causing potential conflict in the workplace. Russian or Belarussian employees might feel rejected or discriminated by their colleagues, creating a hostile environment at work leading people to experience disengagement and intention to leave the organisation12.

Leaders of organisations should remind their workforce about the company’s policy on bullying and harassment. This should be spoken in a very clear and plain language for workers to understand that discriminatory and dehumanising languages about any of the nationalities will not be tolerated and explain the consequences of such actions13.

Resources

Lack of mental health awareness in the organisation might be the reason why employees do not ask directly for the help they need. Companies and their leaders need to make mental health resources easily accessible, promoted and shared with the workforce.

An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is essential in the current situation, or any other situation where employees’ wellbeing could be affected. An EAP allows employees to access 24/7 counselling and support from professionals, qualified counsellors and to assist with mental health and emotional wellbeing. Organisations can ask their EAP providers whether they are offering any special recourses for affected populations and share the information with the workforce.

Additionally, leaders could share other useful independent resources that are available for people and their wellbeing such as the Mind website, a campaign which provides advice and support to people experiencing mental health issues.

Some people who are living abroad may feel distanced from their communities and worthless that they cannot offer direct help to Ukrainian people. Companies could take an opportunity to provide and encourage their employees to contribute to charity organisations, whether it is a local drop-off donation or monetary, to support Ukraine. All charities can be found on the Ukraine War website.

The Ukraine-Russian war continues with more horrifying information coming to the light day by day. People tend to quickly adapt to changes and pay less attention to world problems. This is the crucial moment for organisations to open the dialogue and adopt long-term methods in supporting their employees’ wellbeing.

Whitetree has taken this opportunity to learn and raise awareness about mental health for the workforce. Whitetree team leaders have completed the Mental Health First Aider qualifications and are able to provide more effective support to their teams. Whitetree supplies its employees with Health Insurance that has access to GP 24/7 which includes mental health services.

If you would like to hear more about how Whitetree adopted a supportive organisational culture for employees, please get in touch.

References

1 Ahern, S., Loh, E. (2021) Leadership during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Building and Sustaining Trust in Times of Uncertainty. BMJ Leader, 5, 266-269. doi:10.1136/leader-2020-000271

2 Xie Y, Xu E, Al-Aly Z. (2022) Risks of Mental Health Outcomes in People with Covid-19: Cohort Study. BJM, 376. doi:10.1136/bmj-2021-068993

3 Giorgi G., Lecca LI, Alessio F, Finstad GL, Bondanini G, Lulli LG, Arcangeli G, Mucci N.(2020) COVID-19-Related Mental Health Effects in the Workplace: A Narrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17(21):7857. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217857

4 Edelmen (2022) Edelmen Trust Barometer. The Cycle of Distrust. https://www.edelman.com/trust/2022-trust-barometer

5 Mind Share Partners (2021) Mental Health at Work Report. https://www.mindsharepartners.org/mentalhealthatworkreport-2021

6 Health Action Alliance and the SHRM Foundation (2022) War in Ukraine: How Business Leaders Can Support Employees Affected by the Crisis. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/global-hr/pages/war-in-ukraine-how-business-leaders-can-support-employees-affected-by-the-crisis.aspx

7 Paixão G, Mills C, McKimm J, Hassanien MA, Al-Hayan AA. (2021) Leadership in a Crisis: Doing Things Differently, Doing Different Things. British Journal of Healthcare Management. https://doi. org/10.12968/bjhc.2020.0178

8 Ravalier JM, McVicar A, Boichat C. (2020) Work Stress in NHS Employees: A Mixed-Methods Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17(18):6464. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186464

9 Jacqueline A.-M. Coyle-Shapiro & Ian Kessler (2002) Exploring reciprocity through the lens of the psychological contract: Employee and employer perspectives, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11:1, 69-86, DOI: 10.1080/13594320143000852

10 Smith, R. (2020) How CEOs Can Support Employee Mental Health in a Crisis. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/05/how-ceos-can-support-employee-mental-health-in-a-crisis

11 The Mental Health Foundation (2000) Mental Health in the Workplace. Tackling the Effects of Stress. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/mental_health_workplace.pdf

12 Coetzee M, van Dyk J. (2018) Workplace Bullying and Turnover Intention: Exploring Work Engagement as a Potential Mediator. Psychological Reports.121(2):375-392. doi:10.1177/0033294117725073

13 Thomas H., Husbands, C. (2022) Supporting Staff Affected by Events in Ukraine: Guidance for Small Business Employers. FSB. https://www.fsb.org.uk/resources-page/ukraine-guidance-for-small-business-employers.html