Canadian HR Reporter

One of my daily rituals for self-care is to walk in nature; sometimes just 15 minutes will do the trick. There is something about getting outside among the trees or on a trail that helps me get out of my head. The complexity and volume of issues that I'm managing and the impact they'll have on the people I work with can be quite profound; I have noticed the heaviness of carrying that psychological load around with me. My nature walks allow me to put my professional responsibilities into context and practice some self-compassion, knowing there are often no easy solutions to difficult problems. Some of the issues that HR professionals deal with can trigger an unconscious mental load, such as: • performance counseling situations that, if not improved, will result in demotion or termination • a promotion opportunity that will disappoint the unsuccessful applicants • investigating a harassment complaint that has caused harm • preparing a severance package for an individual or group that don't yet know they'll be leaving the company • the burden of carrying confidential knowledge of a colleague's addiction • coaching someone through a difficult professional experience • facilitating a termination meeting or interacting with an individual post termination. Each of these activities is stressful on its own, but on a daily basis, HR practitioners find themselves juggling unprecedented workloads with complicated files. Handling these challenging issues often takes a toll that, if unchecked, can have significant personal impact. An example of a situation with a dear colleague comes to mind. A highly accomplished HR Business Partner (HRBP) was leading a very difficult restructuring program. It would result in a group of employees being released on a single day. They went about the task with laser-like precision; planning every detail of where, when, how, who, communications, scripting, security, transportation (you know the drill). Their mastery in handling the logistics was exceptional. In the days before the planned termination, some colleagues noticed an unusual shortness in the HRPB's tone, a withdrawal from team interactions, an uncharacteristic sarcasm. I invited the HRPB to a check-in discussion to see if there might be something going on beneath the surface. Their initial response was, 'I'm fine, there is just a lot going on,' but upon further probing I asked them, 'how is everything that's going on impacting you?' On asking the deeper question about the individual rather than the work, we got to the heart of their suffering and how it was manifesting in their behavior at work. They became very emotional and shared how they were struggling with this restructuring. They were deeply concerned about the affected employees and their wellbeing. While they were reassured that the company was being generous with severance and providing support for workforce reintegration, they were in a crisis of conscience – having to act for the company but knowing the harm it could cause to individuals and families. Years ago, the HRBP's father lost his job in an economic downturn and the family was financially devastated. The job loss triggered a financial and emotional downward spiral that their family never recovered from. They lost their home in the process; their parents split up and the family unit was never the same. Eckhart Tolle says, "…if a child grows up with parents for whom financial issues are the source of frequent drama or conflict, he or she may absorb the parents' fear around money and develop a pain-body that is triggered whenever financial issues are involved… Behind the upset or anger lies issues of survival and intense fear." This was an example of an HR professional using their training and their lived experience to plan and care for others in a highly supportive way; leveraging their family situation to ensure individuals were treated fairly and with dignity. Yet even though their professional HR practice was outstanding, they were unconsciously distancing themselves from acknowledging their own past trauma. The absence of any self-care or self-awareness was a serious mental health risk. Not dissimilar from other 'helping professions,' HR professionals are at high risk for job-related burnout if they don't have the coping skills or resilience training to care for themselves. While a lot of the work we do in HR is positive and builds organizational capability, we need to acknowledge that difficult elements at work won't go away – they are an occupational hazard. We need to build the capacity to flourish at work whatever the circumstances, because the work we do, how we support others, and how we help our organizations to be successful is so very important. Businesses need HR professionals to truly be 'professional' in every way, which means bringing our best selves to work. The scaffolding for resilience and self- care is described in many models and has many commonalities. A few of my favourite learnings come from: Positive psychology pioneer Dr. Martin Seligman's PERMA-V model Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement, & Vitality The New Economics Foundation's Five Ways of Wellbeing Take Notice, Be Active, Learn, Connect, Give Back Brené Brown's 10 Guideposts to Wholehearted Living Authenticity, Self-Compassion, Resilient Spirit, Gratitude, Intuition & Trusting Faith, Creativity, Play & Rest, Calmness, Meaningful Work, & Laughter Shawn Achor's Seven Principles of Wellbeing Happiness Advantage, Fulcrum & Lever, Tetris Effect, Falling Up, Zorro Circle, 20-Second Rule, & Social Investment Rick Hanson's work on evolutionary neuropsychology and the benefits of brain training. Recently, five HRPA contest winners joined me at a VIP event with world- renowned wellness leader, Dr. Deepak Chopra, where he spoke extensively about self-care and resilience lessons from his most recent book The Healing Self. Deepak's six pillars for wellbeing (Sleep, Meditation/Mindfulness, Movement, Emotions, Nutrition, Grounding) resonated acutely as we reflected on how much of ourselves we invest in our HR work. Many of us put self-care low on our priority list. We put our personal and professional obligations ahead of our own wellbeing. What if, in all our efforts to deliver value at work, we are actually causing self-harm or sub-optimizing our own performance? Learning and practicing self-care and resilience increases our effectiveness and overall health. Investing in yourself is essential if you truly want to shape positive climate and culture at work, for yourself and for all those you support. By Louise Taylor Green Resilience & Self-Care for HR Professionals

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