The rising death toll and horrors of the Israeli-Hamas war have reverberated across the world — upending the lives of those in the region as well as their family, friends and colleagues near and far — and touching others concerned about the potential for a widening humanitarian crisis.
The conflict has also left many businesses and executives redoubling their efforts to figure out how best to foster a safe workplace that enables employees with different perspectives on the Middle East and other conflicts to feel safe, supported and able to work together peacefully.
With that in mind, CFO Dive turned to Tara Van Bommel, a senior director at Catalyst — a non-profit that focuses on increasing the representation of women in the workplace as well as other issues, including deepening the understanding of workplace inclusion — to learn about some ways that CFOs and other senior executives can have a positive impact on their workplaces and staff in times of crisis.
Van Bommel, who has a PhD in social psychology from Tulane University, is an expert in issues around stereotyping and prejudice, with a focus on the role of nonconscious bias and nonverbal behaviors in intergroup interactions. Below are her emailed responses to questions from CFO Dive. The Q&A has been edited for clarity:
CFO Dive: What are some steps that CFOs and other C-suite leaders can take to support employees during times of crisis?
Van Bommel: 1) Practice empathic listening: listen to understand; do not interject your own experiences and instead try to understand what it would be like to be that person, in their shoes— rather than how you would feel in their shoes. 2) Offer tangible support to process trauma, such as access to free counseling sessions. 3) Reassess bereavement policies; allow the use of sick time for mental health needs. 4) Educate yourself on the history of the crisis. Importantly, seek to understand global and cross-cultural perspectives rather than a U.S.-centric one. 5) Be vigilant to increased discrimination and expressions of prejudice in the workplace. Establish and reiterate a zero-tolerance policy and take all reported instances of discrimination seriously.
CFO Dive: Catalyst research indicates senior leaders are key to creating an empathetic workplace. What does an empathetic and supportive workplace look like and how can it be beneficial both to people and the companies?
Van Bommel: An empathic and supportive workplace is a place where employees can bring their full selves to work, where leaders and policy demonstrate care and concern for employees’ unique life circumstances. Our research shows that when this environment is cultivated, the end result is a workplace in which employees are engaged, productive, innovative, there are low levels of burnout, low levels of intent to leave, and a strong sense of inclusion. In an empathic workplace, employees have regular check-ins with their managers. Senior leaders have a unique responsibility to take their understanding of employees and to demonstrate they care through actions, and at the senior level this means policies. Policies that demonstrate empathy include flexible work, genuine DEI policies, benefits and PTO.
CFO Dive: What advice do you have for CFOs and other senior business leaders who want to create a safe, supportive environment for employees as the crisis in the Middle East is unfolding?
Van Bommel: First and foremost is to listen and create a safe space for employees to manage intense emotions. Employees may hold different points of view on a crisis. Leaders must keep that in mind. And we have a resource that can help with having conversations on difficult topics. For those employees who are directly impacted by a crisis, set up times for folks to drop in and speak to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) support. If your company does not offer EAP resources, now is the time to get them or contract to offer support sessions for employees. In the worst case, if an employee has become bereaved, be sure that bereavement policies are generous.
CFO Dive: What are the typical challenges that emerge in crisis and/or divisive times, for example, what are the most common reactions that workers and leaders have in such a time and how can they be avoided?
Van Bommel: In times of crisis, it is common for employees to struggle to maintain focus and do their best work. This cannot necessarily be avoided because it is a basic human response to threat. Leaders should focus on creating supportive, flexible, and accommodating work conditions. If there are certain metrics or outputs that employees are beholden to, leaders should offer flexibility in meeting those targets.
CFO Dive: In a crisis, can an all-hands meeting addressing a world event be helpful or is a one-on-one approach to addressing concerns and setting guidelines better?
Van Bommel: This is best decided on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the crisis or event, an all-hands meeting may not be a safe and supportive space for all employees. Ideally, managers and leaders have been demonstrating empathy with regular check-ins with employees and they can leverage this rapport to check in with employees individually. Smaller group or team-based meetings might offer a safer space among colleagues with established rapport and climates of psychological safety. If this foundation is not present, now is the time to start one-on-one check-ins. Most importantly, ask how employees are doing and then just listen, and then ask how you can best support them.
