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! 

Tagging some folks I’d love to hear from on this topic

​@nina.johansson ​@HRHappiness ​@HRJoy ​@rstambolieva ​@JHBEM ​@HannahPorteous-Butler ​@damayantichowdhury09 ​@Hellohere ​@wissbegierig 

Thank you for your contribution, Sabbu schreiber. 

I’m heartened to read that you do indeed believe that the state of this world and its impact on us an individuals is of direct relevance to the business and to HR’s function. I appreciate your reference to the importance of recognising the choice we can make to focus on our own mindset and how we present ourselves with colleagues. I wish you well in your commitment to embody a calm, without denying the chaos and its impact on colleagues, who may not have the resources to reflect that calm back.

I’m interested in how businesses resource their team leaders to address the same questions and their responsibility to engage with the culture of the office, and consider how they might proactively initiate conversations about how the external environment affects individual’s mindset, and how mental health skills training can be of relevance to the business productivity and integrity.

I agree with ​@SabbuSchreiber: I focus on my own space and what I can control. 

In my previous role as HR Manager, I’ve often felt the pressure to be the ‘saviour of all’. Whether that came from society, the organisation, or the HR community providing information about what we can do (and should be doing), it’s feels very demanding and heavy.  

Regarding ​@Naturally Mindful’s question about balancing commitment to wellbeing and productivity, I’ve stopped looking at it as “my people” (until I hire staff of my own that is). I believe it’s the business’s business and responsibility to look after its people—productivity, wellbeing, engagement, and all—regardless of the world’s condition and circumstances. This includes supporting and empowering HR professionals by providing the time and resources to measure, identify, and address issues proactively - we’re their people too.

However, in my experience, this is rarely the case. Instead, we often drain our own time and resources—both mental and physical—by acting as the resilient pillar for everyone. We use our knowledge and skills reactively, case by case, rather than focusing on preventative action.

Now, as an HR Consultant running my own business, I make a conscious effort to be kind to myself. I recognise that I cannot know or do everything, and that’s okay. I focus on what I can control, maintaining a balance between the “here and now” and “what might be,” and I let go of the rest. The world is incredibly demanding, especially with constant connectivity through news, social media, emails, and networking.

By setting healthy boundaries and focusing on what’s within our control, we can sustain both our wellbeing and our effectiveness towards others as HR professionals.

Thank you, Nina, and pleased to hear you report being kind to yourself. One of my reasons for writing as I did  and asking the question, “is employee wellbeing the business of businesses?”, is borne of my experience as a training consultant myself and the absence of a narrative around the responsibilities of managers to address mental wellbeing in the context of productivity and working culture. How many line managers are trained in the communication skills necessary to initiate and sustain conversations around the interface between productivity and mental health? How many are selected for their excellent people skills? My question was hinting at the tendency to locate the problem with the individual, as if they have failed to meet the standard in some way, as opposed to seeing the drivers of poor collective mental health ( e.g. bullying, loss of trust, fear, presenteeism)  in the very normative working culture as embodied by senior management, normalised further by an external culture of aggression, warring and an erosion of human rights. As a consultant, I see my responsibility to embody an understanding of the true sources of deteriorating mental health in the workplace. The reason why I switched from traditional management skills development to a broader set of competences, skills and qualities that put our wellbeing and the way we show up with each other at the heart of the conversation around workplace wellbeing. Managing Mental Health Conversations is my latest offering to businesses who are committed to meaningful people skills development.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts ​@Naturally Mindful, I feel you. 

I do feel that it’s a challenging environment for everyone - people, but also us as HR professionals. Indeed I’ve observed that nowadays my coaching & therapy skills are coming much more in handy than team builds, HR processes etc. What I’m trying to teach those I work with is to cultivate the ability to sit with discomfort. This can be by having a hard conversation with an employee, by listening to how someone’s weekend was, or just to be between two conflicting situations. I see a lot of people not knowing how to manage this - how to bring themselves to work when you kinda have to mask how you feel?

I personally had days when I’d wake up and feel that the world is crumbling beneath me. Then put a smile on my face and go to work. It killed me! How do we make space for people to simply feel? We are going back to the old narrative of work vs life, but at the end work is part of your life and what happens in your “life” will influence your work too.

I’m working with managers to empower them to be curious and explore – if an employee tells you that they’ve had a terrible weekend, instead of brushing it off because it feels uncomfortable for you, be curious - ask, validate, be supportive. If someone is suddenly missing deadlines, be curious about what may have happened in this person’s life. But it’s difficult for people to be emotionally attuned to others when maybe they never experienced that for themselves. And people have yet to learn that you can be kind, yet firm.

It’s a systemic challenge and what we can do is to do our bits, one by one. Listen, and be present. The rest will follow.

Thank you ​@andra.enache  for sharing your perspective on managing discomfort and ways of being present with colleagues experiencing unpleasant truths. I welcome your reference to the power of coaching skills to witness the discomfort, remain present, without resorting to resolution suggestions. I also value your point about each of us doing our piece to demonstrate ways of allowing painful truths to be as valid as pleasure Le aspects of our work. I wish you well in your skilled role.