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Why wouldn’t we feel scared, anxious and distracted when we open up our screen each day, given the world we’re living in? By expecting your people to side-line core common truths in favour of weekly targets will have its consequences. Namely, deteriorating mental health, translating in diminishing ability to work collaboratively and with an availability to creative joint endeavour. Not to mention the fuelling of inevitable misunderstandings and conflict in the team. We like to believe we are separate from others, and that work operates independently from the bigger truths.

For once, I’d like to reflect on how our external truths (Gaza, Ukraine, Trump, welfare reform, NHS crises) impact on how we work, how we relate to each other and our mental health. We try our best to draw a line between the messy mush we can feel inside as we start a new working day, because we are paid to perform, to meet targets and to excel in our roles. Or to appear to excel at least. At the same time, there’s been more narrative about bringing our authentic selves to the workplace. Honourable and nobody would deny it’s a commendable ideal. If you’re a manager, you are clearly torn between the needs of your people and the targets you have agreed to. Who carries the burden of this tension and how is this addressed by HR?

I’m not looking for answers here. More to open a conversation about our experience of managing workload in the context of increasing world conflict, ever widening divide between rich and poor and an ever diminishing commitment to the values of ethics, equality and the rule of law. Of course, we  feel scared and anxious about our future, our security at work and at home. No wonder the truth of overwhelm and burn-out are ever present in HR related topics for investigation. 

It is in this context that I shifted my attention from training managers in time-management and objective setting in favour of coaching skills, conflict resolution and emotion regulation. I crafted a new approach to workplace support for individuals who are struggling to maintain targets, mental health and harmonious working relationships. I combine mindfulness meditation bite-sized skills training with communication skills, where there is equal emphasis on the quality of the here and now  as on the desired outcome or resolution. It’s a skill I learnt in the mushy mess of operational management, personal crises and the need to find a way through the fog, necessity. It’s not rocket science. However, it takes courage and eloquence to dare to open up a pandora’s box of human suffering, both in and out with the workplace. I acknowledge that how you are feeling and thinking right now will impact on all aspects of you what you do at home and at work. I allow confidence and hope to creep back into the experience. Be that in a group training event or a 1-2-1 walk’n’talk with an individual in need.

 

How do you acknowledge and address the underlying tensions and obstacles to what constitutes good work? How do you balance your commitment to the wellbeing and the productivity of your people? Do you even believe it is any of your business?

Thank you for sharing this ​@Naturally Mindful, it really speaks to something I’ve been reflecting on too, especially from an HR and people perspective.

We often expect employees to show up with full focus, drive, and collaboration, while the world outside feels increasingly uncertain, and many are quietly carrying anxiety, overwhelm or disconnection. Ignoring that reality doesn’t make it go away; it just pushes it underground, where it can show up as conflict, burnout, or disengagement.

I’ve come to believe that good HR isn’t just about policies or performance frameworks, it’s about creating the conditions for people to thrive as whole humans. That includes making space for the emotional load many are holding, and helping teams reconnect with themselves and each other, even amidst pressure.

The question you close with is such an important one: “Is this our business?” I’d say absolutely yes. How people feel impacts how they work, connect, and show up. As HR or people leaders, we have an opportunity, and responsibility, to acknowledge that, and support a culture that meets people where they are.

 

On a more personal note: I’ve noticed that reading the news or getting pulled into social media scrolling rarely leaves me better off. It’s completely normal to feel afraid or anxious with everything happening in the world. But in those moments, I remind myself: What’s true and real for me right now?

I can’t control what happens globally, whether there’s another war or political shift, but I can influence what my immediate environment looks like. Is it grounded in peace and care or tension and conflict? What kind of energy do I bring into my relationships, my work, and how do I show up each day?

That’s where I choose to focus, on creating peace within myself and in the spaces I touch. And I truly believe that if each of us focused on our own “world,” the bigger world would begin to reflect that change.

What a wonderful post and something I’ve been reflecting on myself. ​@andra.enache, in particular would have some very useful insight here! 

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