It feels like just yesterday we were talking non-stop about mental health at work, mostly because of COVID-19 and the isolation of working from home. We spoke about loneliness, burnout, and how video calls couldn’t replace real human connection. We finally started opening up the conversation about mental health, realizing how important it is for work-life balance.
And yet, here we are again, talking about mental health at work — but now the context is far more complicated. The war in Israel has left no one untouched. Today, it’s not just about feeling disconnected from colleagues. It’s about balancing the trauma of war, missing loved ones, disrupted families, and a deep sense of uncertainty that doesn’t seem to let up.
October 7 changed everything.
A year has passed since that dark day, and many of us are still struggling to comprehend the ongoing war and all its ramifications. Some soldiers and reservists haven’t yet returned from the front lines, and many of those who have come back are just not the same. They’re carrying the weight of what they’ve seen and experienced. Parents are left juggling home, children, and work on their own because their partners are off serving.
Even for those of us fortunate enough to live in quieter zones, nothing feels “normal.” Sirens can go off at any moment, disrupting daily life. Our children are haunted by nightmares and bed-wetting, gripped by fear they can’t fully express.
Amidst all of this, work goes on. But how? How can we be expected to show up and give our best when our minds and hearts are elsewhere? This is the question every employer should be asking.
In my own small team, one person has been on reserve duty; another lives on a kibbutz where there’s no shelter in the daycare facility, so when the threat level rises, children are sent home; and another is forced to cope with daily alarms in the north. This is our reality.
Employers must respond with deep understanding and genuine flexibility, even though balancing these realities with the pressures of deadlines and commitments is far from easy.
Practical Steps for Employers to Support Mental Health
It’s time for workplaces to make mental health a priority — not just as a gesture, because it’s a necessity. If we don’t support employees now, the consequences will be devastating, not just for individuals but for entire businesses and for the country’s productivity as a whole.
Here are a few ways to do this.
1. Create Space (and Safety) for Open Conversations
We can’t pretend this war isn’t affecting us. Employers need to create structured opportunities for employees to talk openly about how the war is impacting their lives. We’re not talking about a casual “How are you?” in the hallway (which is already a good start though!). We’re talking about dedicating specific time for guided conversations, led by a leader or facilitator, where people feel safe enough to share.
Everyone’s dealing with something different: maybe it’s the fear for a loved one in active duty, maybe it’s struggling to keep their kids calm when a siren goes off. These conversations are crucial because they break the silence that makes mental health struggles worse. When we talk about our challenges, we not only help ourselves, but we create a sense of solidarity in the workplace.
But here’s the catch: this only works if there’s psychological safety in the organization. What does that mean? It means people need to feel they won’t be judged or punished for speaking up. Everyone should feel comfortable being honest about what they’re going through without fearing it will backfire on them later. When employees know their words won’t be used against them, that’s when these conversations can truly help, breaking the silence and building solidarity in the workplace.
2. Offer More Flexibility
There’s no one-size-fits-all schedule that works during a war. Employers need to be flexible — whether it’s for a reservist who’s returned home but is having nightmares and needs to start work later in the day, or for a mother who can only work after her kids are asleep because there’s no consistent childcare.
Think about what’s realistic for your employees. A 9-5 schedule might not work for someone who just came back from Gaza and is dealing with insomnia and nightmares or for someone who has caregiving responsibilities and no reliable childcare option. If possible, allow employees to set their own hours or give them the freedom to make up work off-hours. The point is, productivity won’t suffer when people feel supported— in fact, the opposite is true.
Employees who feel seen and heard are more committed and engaged, and this can help reduce the staggering 12 billion working days lost every year to depression and anxiety, which costs the global economy $1 trillion annually, according to the World Health Organization.
3. Support Mental Health Beyond Work Hours
It’s not enough to check in during office hours. Employers need to ensure their teams have access to professional mental health services, whether it’s counseling or therapy. And don’t just offer these services — encourage people to use them. Normalize taking mental health days. We’ve all heard of sick days, but we need to make sure employees understand that taking a day off to clear their head or just breathe is just as important as staying home with a fever.
Managers should also be trained to recognize the signs of trauma, burnout, or emotional distress. If someone seems off, they need to know how to approach that conversation without judgment, and to offer the right resources to help.
4. Help Returning Soldiers and Reservists Transition Back to Work
For those returning from active duty, the transition back into the workplace can be overwhelming. Employers need to be sensitive to this and offer a phased approach to re-entry. Soldiers and reservists are dealing with a lot — not just physically, but emotionally. It’s critical to allow them to take things slow, whether that means reduced hours or a lighter workload until they feel ready to resume their normal responsibilities.
As the former head of mental health at the IDF, Prof. Eyal Fruchter, now Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs at ICAR Collective, sees this as a duty: “I am committed to supporting HR professionals who are implementing programs to assist reservists when they return to work. This also means training all employees to become more trauma-informed. With the significant number of individuals likely to be impacted, it is our collective responsibility to actively work on reintegrating them into their workplaces.”
It’s also important to remember that some reservists might be called back to duty at any moment. Employers should be prepared for this and have systems in place to accommodate these sudden changes without penalizing the employee.
5. Understand the Unique Challenges Parents Are Facing
With schools closed or partially operating due to safety concerns, many parents are left without reliable childcare. Employers can’t expect the same level of availability from these parents as before the war. Flexible work hours, remote work options, and understanding that parents might have to pause during sirens or look after children during work hours are all ways to help.
Additionally, employers can consider offering emergency childcare assistance, either through financial support or by helping parents access services that can fill the gap during these uncertain times. For example, companies like Microsoft have provided their employees with an additional 10 days of paid leave to manage unexpected daycare and school closures.
A Call for Compassionate Leadership and Role-Modeling
World Mental Health Day 2024 should remind us that mental health isn’t a topic to be shelved for later. The need for compassion and understanding has never been more urgent, and the responsibility lies heavily on employers to lead the way. This isn’t just a matter of making employees happy or productive — it’s about survival, mentally and emotionally.
But leadership doesn't stop at offering resources; it starts with role-modeling. Senior leaders must openly share how they are personally impacted and demonstrate vulnerability by talking about how they take care of their own mental health. This openness encourages others to feel comfortable accessing support, knowing that it’s not just available, but also encouraged. The whole organization benefits when everyone is in good mental health.
Research from Headspace shows that this culture of role modeling and transparency is growing — with 89% of employees in 2024 saying their leaders talk about their own mental health, compared to just 35% in 2020.
The war may continue, but so can our resilience. With the right support systems in place, we can get through this together — stronger, and with a deeper sense of connection. Employers, it’s time to step up.
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