5 Tips for Helping Your Employees Through a Crisis

At some point, every business owner will be called upon to help an employee navigate a personal or professional crisis — whether it’s bereavement, a health emergency, financial hardship, or workplace burnout. How you respond matters. Your actions don’t just affect the individual in crisis — they ripple across your team, shaping your company’s culture, morale, and long-term productivity.

Supporting employees during difficult times builds trust and loyalty, strengthens team cohesion, and protects your business reputation. But it’s not just about being kind. Your approach can have direct implications for retention, performance, and even legal risk.

“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”
— Simon Sinek

Employee engagement is at the heart of business success. Yet according to Gallup, only 23% of South African employees are actively engaged at work. One of the most telling predictors of engagement? Whether employees feel supported when life gets hard. Get it wrong, and you risk turnover, resentment, and instability. Get it right, and you foster resilience, unity, and long-term commitment.

Here are five practical, thoughtful ways to support employees through a crisis — with compassion and professionalism.

1. Listen Without Judgement

The first and most powerful act of support is to listen. Not all employees will feel comfortable opening up, especially if they fear judgement or repercussions. Creating a safe, confidential environment where they feel heard is critical.

Resist the urge to jump into problem-solving. Ask what they need. Don’t assume. Don’t overpromise. This is their experience — your role is to provide space, empathy, and clarity.

2. Tailor Your Support

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. While one employee may need extended time off, another may prefer flexible hours, a reduced workload, or a temporary shift in duties.

Explore reasonable accommodations that suit the situation, taking care to align with your HR policies and employment laws. If you’re unsure, seek guidance from your HR team or an external advisor. What matters most is that your support feels personal, meaningful, and sincere — not procedural.

3. Communicate Clearly — and Privately

In times of crisis, confidentiality is key. You may need to inform colleagues about temporary changes in workload or responsibilities, but you must protect the employee’s privacy at all costs.

Set up private communication channels and check in regularly. Keep the employee informed about what’s being shared and with whom — and always seek their consent first. Trust, once broken, is hard to rebuild.

4. Support the Wider Team Too

Crises affect more than just the person at the centre. Managers, co-workers, and direct reports can also experience stress, confusion, or pressure to pick up the slack.

Investing in training for managers — including mental health awareness, crisis communication, and leadership under pressure — can ensure your team is equipped to navigate difficult moments with care and professionalism.

Remember, your team is a system. Strengthening one part reinforces the whole.

5. Make Room in Your Budget for Empathy

Offering crisis support often comes with financial costs — from additional leave to temporary hires, or even subsidised counselling for staff. But it’s an investment worth making.

A skilled accountant can help you plan for these moments. Whether it’s reworking your budget, reallocating resources, or identifying inefficiencies, they can help you build in contingency and flexibility — so your business can care for its people without compromising its goals.

Lead with Integrity

Your response to an employee’s hardship is a reflection of your company’s values — not just stated in a policy, but lived out in action. Whether you’re a five-person start-up or a 500-person enterprise, how you show up in moments of crisis defines your leadership and your legacy.

Empathy is not a cost — it’s an asset.

Need help creating space in your budget to better support your team? We’re here to help.