Why is wellbeing a work issue?
Humanitarian work is demanding. Staff work long hours, face distressing stories and sometimes live in unsafe places. National staff may be affected by the crisis themselves. Left alone, strain leads to illness, mistakes, conflict in the team and people leaving. That costs you in programs and in money.
Wellbeing is part of your duty of care. Our article on what duty of care means covers the safety side. This one covers the daily support.
Where do you start?
Start with the basics that you control:
- Workload. Check whether the job fits in a normal week. If it does not, change the work, not the person.
- Rest. Make sure staff take their leave, including rest and recuperation where you offer it. Watch for anyone with a large unused balance.
- Overtime. Record it, limit it, and give time back.
- Clarity. People cope better when they know what is expected and who decides.
- Fair treatment. A bullying or unfair workplace damages wellbeing more than a hard job does.
What can managers do?
Managers see the early signs. Teach them to notice and to ask:
- Notice changes. Withdrawal, irritability, absence, errors, working at all hours.
- Ask openly. “How are you doing, really?” in a private place, with time to listen.
- Listen first. Do not rush to solve. Do not promise secrecy you cannot keep.
- Offer options. Time off, a lighter load, a counsellor, a call with HR.
- Follow up. Check in again within a week.
Managers are not therapists. Teach them where their role ends and how to refer.
What support should you offer?
| Support | Notes |
|---|---|
| Confidential counselling | Independent of line management; available in local languages |
| Peer support | Trained colleagues who listen; a buddy system for new arrivals |
| Rest and leave | Protected and encouraged |
| Critical incident response | A plan for the first hours and days after a serious event |
| Return-to-work talks | After long illness, evacuation or trauma |
Check what is available locally, and how people in each country prefer to seek help. Customs differ.
What is a plan for critical incidents?
After a serious event, such as an attack, an accident or a death, staff need quick, practical support. Agree in advance who leads, who calls the family, how you brief the team, how you offer counselling and how you handle the media. Keep contact details current. Practise the plan in a drill, as in your emergency planning.
How do you know what staff need?
Ask. A short survey, repeated once or twice a year, with a few clear questions, tells you more than guesses. Guarantee that results are shown only as group totals, and then act: pick one or two issues, make a change and report back. A survey with no response teaches staff not to answer next time.
What helps in the field
Remote and high-risk postings add their own strain. Some practical habits:
- Agree a regular rest and recuperation schedule before deployment, not after burnout shows.
- Keep a routine of short check-ins by phone, especially for people living alone or far from family.
- Brief people honestly on conditions before they accept the posting, so nothing comes as a shock.
- Make sure shared housing and transport are safe and decent.
- Mark the end of a hard posting with a debrief and a chance to talk, not only a handover of the work.
For national staff, ask about family and community pressures. A person supporting relatives in a crisis area may carry a load that no one sees. Flexible leave and a simple way to ask for help can matter more than a long policy.
Wellbeing work does not need to be large to be real. Pick three actions for the next six months, such as a leave check, a manager briefing and a short survey. Give each an owner and a date. Review them at a leadership meeting, and say aloud what you learned. Staff believe in wellbeing when they see leaders act on it, and when leaders take their own leave too.
Where EMPOBase fits
EMPOBase has Staff Wellbeing, Staff Surveys and Duty of Care in the People & HR module. Staff Voice runs surveys with a separate respond permission that every staff member has by default; managing surveys and reading the aggregate needs HR write access. EMPOBase does not provide counselling or care itself, so it supports your plans but does not replace them. See the platform page.