Divorce Likely to Impair Work Productivity

 Posted on August 24, 2017 in Divorce

Going through a divorce can dominate all aspects of your life, including your job. You may have previously tried to keep your work life separate from your personal life. Your problems from home should not be brought to work, and vice versa. With the exception of the death or illness of a family member, a divorce is the most time-consuming and emotionally draining personal issue you can have. If you have a full-time job with a heavy workload, your divorce is likely to decrease your work productivity.

Effects on Work

Several researchers have tried to measure the monetary cost to employers when employees are going through divorces. The exact number varies by study, but the average company loses at least tens of thousands of dollars each year due to reduced productivity from divorcing employees. There are many ways a divorce can affect you at work:

• Divorce meetings and hearings can interfere with your work schedule;
• You may have a greater individual responsibility to care for your children;
• Concerns about your divorce may distract you at work; and
• The divorce process can make you stressed and tired.

Even after the process has finished, your divorce may continue to negatively affect your work performance because you are adjusting to your post-divorce life.

Consequences

Hopefully, your employer will be understanding and accommodating to your personal needs during your divorce. However, your decreased productivity can stagnate or hurt your career because you are less reliable as an employee. You are less likely to:

• Receive a promotion or pay raise;
• Be assigned important projects;
• Travel for meetings and events; or
• Have the flexibility to work overtime.

Accommodations

Because divorce is a common occurrence, your employer and coworkers will likely accept that you may need help during and after the divorce. Some of them may have gone through the same experience. However, it is your responsibility to broach the issue and discuss solutions to the work-related challenges your divorce will cause:

• Inform the people at work who will be affected, starting with your supervisors and followed by coworkers who may need to take on additional work;
• Determine how your divorce may interfere with your work responsibilities and make adjustments if needed;
• Agree to refrain from talking about the personal details of your divorce while at work, so as not to disrupt others; and
• Maintain open communication with your supervisors about whether you may need further accommodations.

Time Commitment

Though it may detract from your work, your divorce needs your full attention. Your divorce settlement will determine financial and child-related issues that can be difficult to modify afterwards. A Kane County divorce attorney at Goostree Law Group can guide you through the process. To schedule a free consultation, call 630-584-4800.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dealing-with-divorce-in-the-workplace_us_599735fce4b033e0fbdec3b4