Sometimes we reason, “I manage a call center and, by its very nature, it doesn’t easily adapt to the multitude of employee needs. If I accommodate one – I’ll have to accommodate all.”

I understand. But I wonder if there might not be some way we can better give these life events the consideration they need in order for our employees to be more effective. I don’t purport to know how to do it. The objective of this blog is to express my concern and suggest that we look again to find any small change that might give these events room in our employees’ lives.

I’m fortunate. I have a job that is extremely flexible, and I’ve come to appreciate the flexibility more than ever. My father died a month ago after a three-month battle with leukemia. First, I had to adjust to the diagnosis. Then, I traveled back and forth across three states to help during his illness. The emotional goodbye followed. Now the family is focused on settling my mother into her new home and life. I watched my sister use all her paid time off as well as hours generously donated by co-workers. Even with the help, she quickly ran out of time. Her family and I agonized as we watched her juggle her priorities and struggle to be with us.

I know all about PTO and FMLA. I understand what it means to set a precedent by “allowing” an exception to the rule. I get all that. But sometimes I think we hide behind rules because the alternative is just too complex to figure out. Perhaps simply thinking about these issues and expressing our concern to our employees during these times is the one small change we could make now.

Have you helped employees make room for life’s events? I’d love to hear how.