When Family Estrangement Comes to Work
During the holidays, grief over family ruptures drains a worker’s productivity.
- Estrangement can affect an employee’s attention and focus, disrupting attendance and output at work.
- The massive surge in family estrangement creates a form of “brain drain” that hurts a company’s bottom line.
- Employees often bring to work estrangement issues like boundary violations, criticism, or unresolved conflict.
Deep grief, rumination, and sleep deprivation inevitably show up at work—especially at this time of year. Robyn D. Shulman’s recent article in Inc Magazine, “38 Percent of U.S. Adults Are Estranged From Family. The Workplace Is Feeling It,” spotlights this overlooked phenomenon.
Estrangement can disrupt attendance and output, as well as affecting attention and ability to focus. The article asks an important question: What does it cost a person to carry a family rupture through an ordinary workday?
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Posted in Brothers, Sisters, Strangers Blog