Managing Someone Whose Life Has Been Upended

The pandemic marks the first time in a century that the entire planet is going through the same disruption. For businesses, that means every employee is going through a life transition at the same time. These transitions are so widespread that executives and managers alike have no choice but to step in and try to help. We get through most transitions relatively easily, but some of them rise to the level of being truly disorienting and destabilizing. The author calls these events “lifequakes.” To help your team members manage their life transitions in a way that doesn’t upend their work lives, you can provide four pieces of advice: start with your transition superpower, use rituals to say goodbye, everyone profits from sharing, and understand that your story will change.