I vividly recall the day an employee walked into my office, a man 25 years more senior than myself, with tears in his eyes, begging me to take his name off the layoff list. That was 11 years ago, and something that still haunts me. The beginning of my career as an HR Manger started with the Great Recession where I gained amazing amounts of experience in terminating seemingly excellent performers and praying that they would be able to feed their children in a time when no one was hiring.
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I recall taking the call from one of our employees the morning his child was murdered.
I remember the day like yesterday when I had to convince an employee not to take his own life.
This is HR! Anyone stressed?!
As HR Professionals we handle it all—we are the only profession in the world that manages to switch from seemingly unimportant tasks, to those of great consequence in a matter of minutes. We are busy trying to keep afloat, while at the same time ensuring that we are moving forward.
This week we talked to Leah Marone, a trained psychotherapist about Stress in the Workplace and how to manage through it. She discussed in detail the concept of a daily practice of recharging/a reset on your battery. As HR, we take on the stress of the situations we come face to face with every day, even if it just seems like doing our job. Leah discusses the idea of book ends during your day, where you can be truly present with yourself to help recharge and refuel for what will be thrown at us.
I am a super fan of Rachel Hollis, and recently heard her speak at a conference. Her words could not make more sense as it relates to Stress. In paraphrasing her talk, if you sign up for anything in life, sign up for yourself. You can’t be anything to anyone, if you aren’t physically and mentally strong. It’s the airline concept—put on your oxygen mask first, before helping anyone else.
As you battle through your day, remember to take care of yourself first, so you can show up for everyone else. Thank you for listening to Survive HR and as always if Steve Nail or I can serve you in anyway, please don’t hesitate to reach out!