?Divorce can take a toll not only on a person’s home life, but their work life as well.
For some employees going through a divorce, the stress can spill over into the workplace with loss of focus, lower productivity, and irritability with customers and colleagues.
“It impacts every area of your life,” said Vicky Townsend, co-founder of the National Association of Divorce Professionals. The Miami-based group of licensed professionals works with clients in all stages of the divorce proceedings.
“It is not a legal crisis. It is not a mental health crisis. It’s an all-encompassing crisis” that can affect an employee’s work, added Townsend, who also is the president of Divorce Right, an employee assistance program provider that focuses on divorce.
In the U.S., between 35 percent and 50 percent of first-time marriages end in divorce. That increases to about 60 percent for second marriages and to more than 70 percent for subsequent re-marriages, according to the World Population Review.
The job performance of workers going through a divorce was lower than married colleagues who were never divorced, according to a research paper from the University of Minnesota.
The paper, “After the Breakup: How Divorcing Affects Individuals at Work,” was published in Personnel Psychology in October 2022. It is based on findings from two studies conducted from April 2016 to April 2017.
The 542 respondents in the first study included those who were divorcing, co-habitating or married and never divorced. The second study was with 200 respondents in the U.S. and Canada in the process of a divorce; they were found through court records and community outreach, during three time periods several weeks apart, and a follow-up was conducted one year later.
In the first study, almost 44 percent of individuals said the divorce process negatively impacted their job, career or work. Some said they felt more distracted at work or became emotional, in some cases running to the restroom to cry. Individuals showed improved job performance and health after their divorces were completed.
Not all divorcing employees are negatively affected: 39 percent of respondents said they had more time, focus and energy toward their work and career and felt a renewed motivation for their career.
Their changed marital status “removed a large stress burden from their lives, and they had more energy to tackle career goals,” noted Connie Wanberg, professor at the University of Minnesota’s School of Management and one of the researchers.
“It is important,” Wanberg pointed out, “to avoid the assumption that all workers will be only negatively affected” by a divorce.
What Employers Can Do
But for managers who suspect marital issues may be at the root of an employee’s worsened job performance, it’s advisable to tread lightly when asking about the situation.
Townsend suggests opening the discussion by focusing on the employee’s work.
“Use that as your starting point,” Townsend said. “If they want to start talking about problems with their families, … give them the opportunity to open up if they want to and remind them of the benefits” they may want to access.
A flexible work schedule is probably the best way to support these employees who may need to take time off for court dates and other appointments, or find new housing and child care options, she added.
Employers may also want to consider training managers on how to approach and interact with employees undergoing divorce.
It’s helpful, said Michelle K. Duffy, one of the University of Minnesota researchers, “for managers to become educated on the potential work impact of divorce and the fact that it is timebound,” since the length of the proceedings can vary depending on locality.
It’s also important to recognize “the range of potential effects as well as the severity of the effects” of divorce on an individual, she said.
“Educated managers,” Duffy said, “are able to be prepared in advance for the impact of divorce on work—and given the stats, it’s a good time investment. With preparation they can better support and advocate for their employees in a way that helps the organization and the employee alike.”
Noted Townsend, “The earlier we can get in and intervene to give that guidance and direction they so desperately need, the less damage to your employee and less damage to the employer and company’s bottom line.”