Supporting your workforce through exceptional events

Crisis events can directly or indirectly affect employees’ safety and wellbeing. It is important to act quickly and to determine whether emergency or business continuity arrangements need to be triggered.

Beyond the physical safety of employees, be aware that the event could cause stress and anxiety that affect mental and emotional wellbeing. For example, those not directly impacted may be worried for the health and safety of loved ones, experiencing trauma or bereavement. 

Where necessary, consider offering support like employee assistance programmes, counselling and referral to occupational health services. At the most basic level, employers should demonstrate empathy, listen, provide flexibility as needed and encourage self-care. 

Resources

• Factsheet: Stress in the workplace
• Factsheet: Wellbeing at work
• Guide: Managing stress at work
• Guide: Supporting mental health at work

In times of crisis, it’s vital to maintain clear and open lines of communication, providing information about the developing situation, any plans that are put in place, and how to access further support or information. 

Recognise the uncertainty, stress and anxiety that people may be feeling, and give managers the tools to support their teams. Ensure there are sufficient and appropriate voice channels in place for people to raise their concerns, questions or suggestions.

Resources

• Factsheet: Employee communication | CIPD
• Guide: Group voice channels | CIPD
• Guide: Individual voice channels | CIPD

The situation may prompt a need to relocate staff from affected areas. Employers should stay up to date on news of travel restrictions or disruptions. If cross-border movement is required, take stock of relevant immigration considerations. This includes identifying affected employees and seeking guidance from immigration advisers on what visas may be needed to relocate them. Where crisis events prompt major areas of work to be relocated or outsourced, workforce planning can help you to be strategic in your decision-making.

Resources

• Guide: Strategic workforce planning

• Factsheet: Employing overseas workers in the UK
• Guide: Hiring overseas workers

An ensuing crisis event could mean that employees are grappling with the loss of loved ones and require a leave of absence. If the absence becomes longer term, put in place arrangements to keep in touch with them and agree formal return-to-work plans.

Resources

• Guide: Compassionate bereavement support
• Guide: Managing short-term absence
• Factsheet: Absence measurement and management
• Guide: Managing a return to work after long-term absence
• Tools: Absence management

Flexible working arrangements can be useful for supporting employee health, safety and wellbeing through crisis events. Check the options available and consider if it is appropriate in the circumstances to offer other arrangements including remote working, flexi-time or reduced working hours. Communicate their availability clearly.

Resources

• Factsheet: Flexible working practices
• Factsheet: Working hours and time off work
• Flexible working resources (including guides and tools)

Crisis events can be emotional and distressing and can lead to increased tensions in the workplace. Employers should seek to proactively manage and prevent disputes between employees and be alert to potential harassment, discrimination and bullying. 

Resources

• Guide: Tackling bullying and workplace conflict
• Topic: Conflict management

• UK employment law: Discrimination
• UK employment law: Harassment and bullying at work

Crisis events can lead to commercial difficulties and could mean a need to redeploy or reduce your workforce. If you’re anticipating job cuts as a consequence of a crisis event, it’s important that you act fairly, transparently, within any legal parameters and with compassion. In the first instance, consider other options such as sabbaticals, temporary lay-offs and short-time working.

For those looking to redeploy or reskill staff, consider conducting a gap analysis to understand the skills gaps you have. Assess technical as well as transferable skills when reviewing your workforce.

Resources

• Guide: Strategic workforce planning
• Guide: Using, deploying and redeploying people's skills

• Factsheet: Working hours and time off work (for information on lay-offs and short-time working)
• Guide: Redundancy
• Guide: Sabbaticals

After setting emergency plans in place, regularly monitor developments and assess whether those plans should continue or be revised accordingly. If the crisis situation remains unresolved and ongoing impact to your people and your organisation is anticipated, convene organisational leaders and decision-makers to look at longer-term adjustments, particularly in relation to your workforce. Changes of a more permanent nature will need to be proactively managed.

Resources

• Guide: Change management
• Guide: Strategic workforce planning
• Thought leadership: Responsible leadership – Leading the way | CIPD