It’s common knowledge that for most people, divorce is going to affect them emotionally and physically, even when both spouses know it’s for the best. But what few people think about is how the divorce is going to impact their job.
The emotions involved in a split up can be intenseand that’s normal. But it’s not as if someone can just “turn it off” from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and then let it loose when they climb back in their car to head home. In reality, divorce can be on a spouse’s mind practically every waking minute of the day and it can affect their job performance.
Here are some examples of how a divorce can impact a person:
- They can be distracted by the divorce throughout the day.
- A manager amid divorce can avoid firing someone because they don’t want any more drama.
- It can make an executive more risk adverse because they’re afraid of losing something else.
- Companies are ill-equipped to handle employees’ divorces. As a result, the employee going through a divorce can feel more isolated.
- The employee can break down and cry while at work.
- The employee may be so stressed that they have to leave the office or take “sick days” to cope with the divorce in the privacy of their own home.
When a divorcing spouse’s emotions are raw and they feel vulnerable, it can be difficult to put their emotions aside for the day and act like everything is normal. If you are going through a divorce and experience this, please understand that what you’re going through is only normal and to be expected.
If you plan to divorce, our advice is to tell your boss so he or she knows what you are going through. You don’t have to tell the whole office, but you should tell who’s on a “need to know” basis. If you need a non-biased person to talk to, we recommend speaking with a counselor or therapist, or someone from your church (if applicable).
Related: 6 Tips for a Great Divorce
As far as handling yourself at work, sometimes work can be the ideal distraction if you decide to view it that way. This may be a great time to pour yourself into your work and try to take advantage of its distracting qualities and use it to your advantage.
