Lessons from the ‘New Normal’: Lead with Empathy Heading into the Holidays

By Kimberly Mashburn, RN, CLMS, GBDS

Absence Management Practice Lead
The Hartford

By Adele Spallone, MA, MS

VP Clinical & Service Operations
The Hartford

Heading into the winter holidays always brings an extra dose of stress. So little time, so much to do for others. That’s just normal. But 2020 has been anything but normal. The adaptations employers have had to make as the pandemic unfolded and the lessons learned certainly will be needed as we wrap up this unprecedented year.

In the past eight months, we’ve learned a great deal about our ingenuity and resiliency. We’ve also learned how emotionally and mentally stressful it can be to lose a sense of normalcy. The Hartford surveyed employees and employers in March and June 2020 to explore the progression of pandemic-related trends and found that nearly half of all employees reported an increase in anxiety as the pandemic progressed.¹ This was especially true among younger employees, while 57% of employees who are parents reported increased stress as well.

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