Being able to lead your team from a work perspective is one thing, but there are many things that may happen to them personally that you must be ready to handle too. They could get sick, have family members who are sick or have other situations that they need to deal with at home. They will need to focus their attention on those things in addition to work. This can obviously be a challenge for them to do that well. How can you as a leader be there to support them?
- Check in with them to see how they are doing. They will be trying to manage a lot which adds to their stress levels. They may want to talk about the situation or they may not. Support them either way. They may just need someone to listen to them. Minimally they will know that you care how they are doing.
- Give them options. Would they want to take time off work to handle the situation or will they be able to manage it while they are working? Let them know if they could work from home, take a leave of absence or other options that they could do. Work with human resources to help you with this if needed.
- Does the company have any services to offer? Some companies offer some help and support for these situations that the employee could take advantage of to get help. They may not know about them, so provide information on how they can learn more about it.
- Reallocating workload may also be necessary. Start to think about ways to manage their work if needed. If they need to leave unexpectedly, you will need to work with the person to prepare a back up plan.
- What should you communicate if necessary? Being respectful and ask them what they would like you to communicate to the team to protect their privacy. Only share what they are okay with you sharing.
Having a manager who supports them is one of the most important things during these challenging situations. They are going to need to focus on their personal situation and being there to help them is key to alleviate some of their stress. Being prepared and offering your support in these situations is going to help the employee get through it.