Coordinating care when an employee or co-worker is ill

You can help alleviate stress when an employee or co-worker is ill. Photo: Getty Images

When an employee or co-worker receives a serious diagnosis or needs to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, or other treatments, people often rally around with support. They offer to bring food, provide rides to doctor’s appointments, watch the kids, etc. While the person is often grateful for all the offers, they are often overwhelmed by trying to keep their network informed of medical progress, juggling responsibilities at work, and coordinating the needed help, all in the midst of the intense emotional and physical drain of the situation.   

You can help alleviate that stress. There are several ways to organize co-workers to provide support that is different than what most people do. For example: