How to Talk with Your Team About Difficult News and Current Events
Tips for leading through times of crisis.
In today’s workplaces, it is simply impossible to remain apolitical. When difficult events happen, they reverberate through our workplaces, whether we want them to or not. Gone are the days of checking your politics at the door, and today’s professionals want to work at companies that allow them to bring their whole selves to work - beliefs, politics, protests and all. The most loved leaders of this generation will embrace this diversity, lean towards the hard conversations, and foster environments that allow differences to thrive. This guide will help you do all of this thoughtfully and support your teams through challenging times.
Many leaders feel unsure about how to approach difficult news and current events, particularly those that polarize people or touch on sensitive subjects like political or religious beliefs, discrimination, and injustice. Many feel unprepared to make a statement, but staying quiet only seeds distrust. It’s important to say something - at the very least, by acknowledging the events, but even better, by providing reassurance and support. Your employees want to know that you see what’s happening and recognize that it will affect them.
Why do people care what leaders have to say?
They want to feel seen and valued in the workplace
They want to feel connected to you
They want to know their job performance won’t suffer in times of crisis
So what should I do?
There are countless ways to engage your employees during difficult times, and the one(s) you choose should depend on the situation. When possible, it’s best to go beyond a statement and offer support as well.
1. Make a statement
When bad things happen, people look to their leaders for reassurance and guidance. It’s up to you to exhibit the behaviour that you want to encourage in your employees, as well as to be a pillar of understanding for your organization. Whether you’re a C-level leader or you manage a small team, your voice counts.
A thoughtful statement can remind people that you’re there for them. It can help them feel supported and seen, and reinforce company values. Here is a framework to help you write a thoughtful statement that builds trust:
Acknowledge the incident
Recognize the impact
Provide support
Close with confidence
Here’s how it works:
Acknowledge the incident - and be specific! Avoid wishy washy statements that allude vaguely to some trauma, instead address the incident with direct, straightforward language. Making it personal can also build confidence with your team, because it shows them that you’re there with them and you understand what is going on.
“You may have heard about the news from Georgia today, of a senseless act of racial violence.”
“As many of you are aware, a horrifying homophobic attack occurred in Orlando today.”
“I’m sure that, like me, many of you are following the news of the Israel-Palestine conflict this week.”
“With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’m sure I’m not alone in considering the impact of this holiday on the Indigenous members of our community.”
Recognize the impact - this helps build psychological safety and foster belonging.
“I know it might be hard for us to process what is going on.”
“I understand that you might be feeling overwhelmed and distracted by this news.”
“I know from personal experience that these events can cause us to feel increased stress and anxiety, and I want you to know that what you’re feeling is normal and you are not alone.”
Provide support - encourage people to take advantage of resources available to them, and to come to you for further support.
“As you know, we value inclusion and belonging here. Part of that means understanding when some of us are going through difficult times - please show your colleagues compassion and don’t hesitate to let each other and your managers know if you need support or time away.”
“My door is open if you want to talk about this, now or in the future.”
“Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would like to talk.”
Close with confidence - reassure them that you are there for them and that your leadership team is committed to their wellbeing.
“Our leadership is committed to supporting you through this.”
“Moments like this challenge us to do better, to be better, and to come together and rally around our values. Now is the time to support each other and recommit to our values of __________. We’ll make it through this together.”
2. Reach out one-on-one
In some situations, certain members of your community may be affected more severely than others. In these cases, reaching out 1:1 is a good way to show someone you see them and remind them that they have your support. If you choose to do this, remember that different people respond differently to current events and to leadership outreach.
Offer, don’t enforce.
It’s important to show your support without exacerbating an already difficult time. When a community is affected by an event, stress levels increase and emotions run high. Some people will gravitate towards offers of connection, but others simply want to know that their leaders understand why they’re a little quieter than usual. Your job is to support both people (and everyone in between), by being available in the ways that they need you.
3. Remind people of available support resources, or offer new ones
Now is the time to pull up that employee handbook and remind people of the resources that are available to them. Does your workplace offer mental health benefits? Flexible working options, like work-from-home or flex hours? What about personal days? All of these can help people to have the time and space they need to process the events.
If your workplace doesn’t offer these, you may want to make a special exception and offer these resources during this difficult time. If you’re a middle manager, advocating upwards for your team to have these benefits can make a big difference in your team’s health. You can also point to external resources, like the local mental health and crisis resources, and other resources that are related to the events.
4. Hold spaces for discussion and shared healing
Some people crave community in times of crisis, and part of your job as a leader is providing the space for people to come together. Not everyone will want to take part, but for those who do, it’s important that you take care to create thoughtful, inclusive spaces for conversation.
Here are some ideas for hosting inclusive, safe spaces for discussion:
Bring in a neutral facilitator. You might be tempted to host the discussion yourself, or have HR facilitate. But having a leader or HR representative in the room may make people feel they can’t fully express themselves. Consider bringing in a neutral facilitator to host a guided conversation.
Set some ground rules. Remember that people have different lived experiences, which means everyone is approaching the subject from a different perspective. It’s important to set ground rules at the beginning of a conversation so expectations are clear. Use our template here.
Invite people to share their thoughts, but don’t force someone to participate. For some, being in a space where others are talking can help them process their own feelings. Participation doesn’t always mean actively speaking.
When someone shares something brave, thank them. Here are some ways you might do that:
“That was brave of you to share that, thank you.”
“Thank you for sharing that.”
“I know it’s not easy to talk about these things, thank you for sharing.”
Remind people it’s okay to step out if they need a break. These conversations can get emotional, or even heated, and taking a step back can help. Remind people at the start of the conversation that they can step out and come back (or hop off and back on the call if it’s virtual), whenever they want.
If there are takeaways from the conversation - for example, if you uncover new ways that you can make your working environment more inclusive - communicate this to your team. Let them know that you heard them, and that you’re committed to making change so everyone can be safe and bring their whole selves to work.
You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be present.
Often when it comes to difficult news and events, leaders feel overwhelmed and worried that they’ll say something wrong, so they end up saying nothing at all. But silence is a statement in itself, a gap that will be filled in with what other people imagine you are thinking. Don’t stress over crafting the perfect statement, focus instead on being there for your people when they need you.
