In a recent survey of divorced and divorcing conducted by www.thedivorcementor.com, almost 50% said that their divorce significantly impacted on their effectiveness at work. What’s more, a further 25% said that they needed to take more time off than normal and another 25% said that they did not feel supported in the workplace during their divorce process.

These figures are surprisingly large and quite disappointing. It strikes me that if a HR person asks if someone is coping they’ll inevitably get the answer “yes”, even if that person is struggling. With such a large proportion admitting that divorce affected their productivity and effectiveness, it is an issue business really cannot afford to ignore.

1. Have a publicly acknowledged policy regarding absence for issues such as lawyer appointments or court appearances. Are these granted, or to be taken as leave?
2. Distribute the above so that line managers can act accordingly
3. Promote an open door policy where employees feel that they can tell you their situation
4. Be prepared to open up a conversation about the situation if the employee isn’t coming to you
5. Outline practical steps that people need to go through to get a pension valuation which may be necessary for their financial settlement
6. Consider offering emotional support so that people can process their emotional issues outside the workplace and get on and on with their jobs.
7. Divorce is a huge life changing issue that will affect some people’s productivity. Understanding this and also remembering that this is a phase and they will get through it
8. HR can point out that because divorce is a situation where so much is up in the air,  the very process of coming to work offers structure in a predictable environment and this provides stability at a time of massive change
9. If divorce is between two people in the workplace then HR must think carefully about how to offer support equally to both participants
10.  Consider adding divorce coaching to an employee benefits package so that employees will feel supported and yet confident in an independent provider.