Q: An employee of mine is very distressed by current events in the news as they have family involved. Can I ban political discussion in the workplace?
A: In the face of serious world issues, taking a proactive approach serves as an important reminder to staff that their wellbeing matters.
Many people’s emotions are running high, so it’s a good time to let staff know what kind of support is available in your workplace. If you don’t want to provide support in-house, direct them to a third-party wellbeing support. You don’t have to be involved and it’s entirely confidential.
If the conflict affects an employee’s friends or family who may be living abroad, you could consider offering them a more flexible working arrangement. This may