Despite your divorce, you must still work and earn a living. Understandably, you could have trouble concentrating on your duties when you think about your legal situation.
Chron offers tips for navigating a divorce in the office. Get insight into balancing your personal and professional lives during a major life shift.
Tell your manager
If you would rather not tell your coworkers about your divorce, at least let your manager know. Your performance may falter in the days, weeks and months ahead, and your supervisor deserves to know why. You need not go into detail about your marital split, only share the fact that you and your spouse want to dissolve your marriage.
Understand your responsibilities
Your company may have policies for divorcing employees. Ask an HR representative about this, so you better understand your rights in the matter. While meeting with HR, ask about local, federal and state laws that may deal with your situation.
Understand your employers’ responsibilities
Not only may you have responsibilities, but your company may have obligations, too. For instance, managers may need to approach struggling employees to ask if they need accommodations. Managers and employees may work together to develop a solution that meets everyone’s needs.
Ask about Employment Assistance Programs
Something else to ask HR when discussing company policies on divorce is whether your company has Employment Assistance Programs. Such programs offer free consultations and therapy sessions to companies with over 5,000 workers. You may want to take advantage of a program if you struggle with your emotions and thoughts about divorce.
Despite your hesitation, it may benefit you to open up at the office and share the news of your divorce. A single conversation may help set you up for success in your post-divorce life.
