Navigating Performance Reviews During Long-Term Leave: Essential Tips for Employees and Employers

Natasha JeshaniNews

As a fractional HR consultant at Career Contacts, I often encounter employees and employers uncertain about how to handle performance reviews during long-term leave. Whether it’s parental leave, medical leave, or other extended absences, ensuring that your performance is evaluated fairly and comprehensively can significantly impact your ongoing career success. If you’re planning to take long-term leave this year, it’s essential to address how your company will manage your performance review in your absence. Key Questions to Address Before Taking Long-Term Leave: Will You Miss Your Performance Review? Long-term leave often coincides with the time when annual or bi-annual performance reviews are conducted. If you’re not present for the review, it’s essential to understand whether the review will be postponed, skipped, or conducted in your absence. Missing out on this crucial feedback session can leave you without valuable insights into your performance and areas for improvement. How Will Your Performance Be Evaluated? Evaluation criteria can become complex when an employee is on long-term leave. It’s important to clarify with your employer how your performance will be assessed during this period. Will they consider the work you’ve done up until your leave? Will there be any adjustments or special considerations given …

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Challenging Stigma: Mental Health in the Workplace

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Human Resources Tips

We at Career Contacts are proud advocates of mental health awareness and wellbeing in the workplace, so in recognition of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ve compiled some useful information that can help facilitate a dialogue around mental health in the office. Something important to keep in mind when considering the topic of mental health in the workplace is that mental health matters affect both employers and employees alike, so engaging in an open conversation about it can be helpful to everyone and can be instrumental in creating an office environment in which everybody feels safe and heard. MENTAL HEALTH DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE Aside from being associated with higher rates of disability and unemployment, mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression can also become evident in employers’ and employees’ communication, engagement, physical capabilities, daily functioning and overall job performance. This may explain why companies worldwide are recognizing the importance of addressing this topic, and why many have introduced programs that promote both physical and mental health in the workplace. While it may seem like one more thing to add to the agenda, there have been numerous examples of these kinds of programs and workshops having proven success! …

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Top 5 Ways to Stay Safe at the Office

Natasha JeshaniNews

At Career Contacts, we often write blogs based on the conversations we are having with hiring managers and candidates. Top of mind for candidates going back into the office lately is around how to ensure they are keeping safe (and leadership is looking to ensure they are doing their part too). This week, we wanted to share our top 5 most rewarding ways to stay safe in your office environment during the pandemic. Although they may seem like easy things to do, they hold a much deeper value than people may assume. Remember to PLEASE stay home if you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how small! This is by far the most important step when practicing safe living during this time. This will effectively flatten the curve as well as not only protect you, your loved ones and your bubble, but it also protects all those you may encounter! Think of it as you actively protecting so many people by simply being cautious. No matter how small or insignificant your symptoms may be, it is safer for us all if you stay home. Be sure to express your concern to your employer and bubble, and proceed to …

Checking in with your teams; a message on mental health in the workplace

Natasha JeshaniNews

Checking in with your teams is really about starting from a place of authenticity, genuine care and compassion. As many companies feel the uncertainty of the world and how their teams are doing, it is so important to take the time to check in with your teams to determine how they are coping, what they need, and how you can support. The worst thing we can do as leadership is to make assumption. One employees’ paradise is another employees’ battleground. After months of supporting our clients and teams both onsite and remotely, we worked together to come up with 5 tips on how to effectively check in with your teams: 1. Be proactive When approaching your employees, the number one thing we would tell you, is that employees feel most supported when they don’t need the help, but know it’s available if and when they do. This means that you don’t wait for the forest to burn down, you reach out before the kindle even begins. This holds true for everyone on the team; from your internal and external teams, remote and onsite, and the most junior employees right through to c-suite. This is the time to make everyone feel …

Supporting Your Teams Suffering From Anxiety

Natasha JeshaniNews

Anxiety is essentially our brain’s response to imminent danger; for someone with an anxiety disorder that signal functions less like a motion light and more like a lighthouse. But in a time like this where that signal is firing for so many people all around the planet, knowing how to support your team members and loved ones with already present anxiety issues is more important than ever. Here are a few key things to keep in mind when speaking to someone struggling with anxiety:   Don’t downplay their feelings… Everyone is entitled to how they are feeling. Saying things like “don’t get worked up,” “everyone feels like this,” and “it really isn’t a big deal,” while coming from a place of helpfulness can have the opposite effect. In this global climate, suggesting that being fearful is overreacting can cause their anxiety to shift to worrying that you may not be taking the appropriate precautions which just adds more things to the list of worries on their mind. Also, it may be second nature to suggest that it is not a unique feeling and attempt to offer perspective with “at least…” statements but that can make it seem like their anxiety …