A promotion. A new baby. Relocation. Grief and loss. Caring for aging parents. Marriage and divorce. Illness and recovery. At any given moment, employees are navigating a myriad of life transitions, figuring out what’s next, and adapting to a new normal.
In moments of change, employers can play a significant role, providing empathy, flexibility, and resources when they matter most. When organizations see their role as more than policies and paychecks, they have a tangible impact on employee well-being, and key talent metrics.
Employees who feel cared for by their employer are three times more likely to be engaged at work and 69% less likely to actively search for a new job.
But creating a culture of care and meaningful support isn’t easy. Every employee’s experiences are unique. A change that feels manageable for one person might be overwhelming for another. So, the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Instead, it’s about building a comprehensive framework that recognizes transitions as a normal part of the human experience. Use the following guide to help meet employees where they are, understand the different types of transitions they’re facing, and identify the right mix of practical solutions that work for both employees and organizations.
The spectrum of change
Life transitions encompass any significant change that requires adjustment or shifts in identity or routine. Some are developmental and anticipated: starting a career, getting married, becoming a parent, or approaching retirement. Others are situational and often catch people off guard, like job loss, divorce, illness, or the death of a loved one.
Whether these major life changes are public or deeply personal, they always impact how employees show up at work. The process of navigating uncertainty and starting fresh takes emotional and mental energy that directly affects workplace performance, engagement, and retention.
The psychological process of life transitions
Major life transitions set in motion a complex set of psychological responses that can deeply affect employees. Understanding that helps you support employees during times of change.
The widely-used Bridges Transition Model1 identifies three core stages that individuals experience. Recognizing these stages highlights why even positive changes can temporarily disrupt performance.
1. Endings and loss
Even positive changes involve endings. Employees may need to let go of familiar routines, relationships, or aspects of their identity. A promotion might mean leaving behind a comfortable role and team dynamics, while welcoming a new baby shifts personal schedules and priorities. The sense of loss associated with endings can evoke grief, anxiety, or resistance, especially if the transition was not chosen voluntarily.
2. The neutral zone
After an ending, employees often enter a period of uncertainty; an in-between space where old patterns no longer fit, but new ones aren’t yet established. During this phase, individuals may feel disoriented, anxious, or overwhelmed. The neutral zone is also a time of potential growth, as employees explore new possibilities and develop resilience.
3. New beginnings
Eventually, employees begin to adapt, forming new routines, relationships, and identities. This stage requires energy and motivation. Employees may need help to find confidence or meaning in their new circumstances.
What support looks like
For employers, providing care and support that accounts for the emotional and logistical weight of these challenges is complex and fluid … just like real life. Supporting life transitions starts with understanding what employees need. Consider four critical areas where employer-provided support makes a difference.
A. Family building and parenthood
Starting or growing a family comes with emotional highs and logistical challenges. Fertility treatments, adoption processes, pregnancy, surrogacy, postpartum recovery, and the transition back to work all require different types of support. Comprehensive family support recognizes the variety of paths to parenthood and addresses needs that extend well beyond birth or placement.
- Support the family-building journey with pre-birth financial planning resources, fertility benefits, child care resources, and peer mentoring programs.
- Review employee benefits and support resources to ensure consideration for the unique needs of single parents, adoptive parents, parents via surrogacy, and LGBTQ+ families.
- Provide maternity and paternity leaves, setting clear expectations for time away from work and check-ins during the leave.
- Offer ongoing support, such as flexible scheduling, lactation support and facilities, care planning resources, backup child care options, and care spending accounts.
B. Caregiving across generations
Three in four U.S. workers have caregiving responsibilities for children, aging parents, pets, or all of the above. Many are part of the “sandwich generation,” juggling multiple caregiving roles alongside a full-time job. Caregiving-related life transitions often involve schedule unpredictability, emotional stress, and financial strain. And because caregiving demands are always evolving, the type of support employees need may shift over time from flexible hours to caregiving relief resources or family leave.
- Offer flexible work arrangements that can accommodate caregiving gaps, medical appointments, and emergencies.
- Provide access to caregiving benefits, including care specialists, vetted caregivers, and adult backup care.
- Offer care spending accounts to help lighten the financial load.
- Sponsor employee resource groups or informative sessions that give caregivers practical guidance and reduce isolation.
C. Illness, loss, and grief
Serious illness, bereavement, and other deeply personal disruptions can be hard to talk about at work, but their impact is undeniable. A recent loss can affect an employee’s concentration for months. A chronic illness diagnosis changes how someone approaches long-term planning, both personally and professionally. Employers can help by recognizing that needs vary significantly based on individual circumstances and coping styles. Some employees may need extended time off, while others find routine helpful.
- Consider supplementing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) with paid leave options to allow employees to recover or care for loved ones without financial hardship.
- Include access to counseling and mental health support through EAPs.
- Expand definitions for bereavement leave to include chosen family, pets, and other significant relationships.
- Provide training for frontline managers to help them recognize and respond to grief in the workplace.
D. Career and workplace transitions
Not all life transitions happen outside of work. Promotions, role changes, relocations, mergers, and reorganizations each require employees to adjust expectations, routines, and sometimes their entire sense of identity at work. Even positive career changes can bring stress, uncertainty, or feelings of isolation.
- Create structured support for internal transitions through mentoring programs that pair newly promoted employees with experienced leaders.
- Offer skill development opportunities and training to help employees build confidence when taking on new roles.
- Establish programs to support employees in the event of layoffs and organizational changes, such as career counseling and job search support.
- Foster a culture of communication where employees feel safe to express concerns, ask questions, and seek guidance during workplace transitions.
The business impact of support
Over the course of a lifetime, adults spend an estimated 90,000 hours (about 45 years) at work. With so much of life unfolding in parallel with work, it makes sense that the workplace can significantly influence overall well-being.
When employees feel seen and supported during life transitions, it strengthens more than their day-to-day morale. It builds loyalty. It fuels engagement. And it shapes how people perceive and talk about their employer.
Life transitions are often emotionally charged moments. As a result, they tend to magnify how people feel about the support they receive, or don’t receive. Even small signals of care and flexibility in these moments carry outsized weight, becoming defining experiences for employees and providing measurable benefits for employers.
Productivity and performance:
Life changes can create ripple effects across teams. When one team member is dealing with a major life transition, projects can slow down, and other employees often have to pick up additional responsibilities. Providing flexibility and timely resources to an affected employee does not just impact their individual productivity and performance; it also helps maintain the entire work team’s focus, collaboration, and decision-making.
Retention:
Many times, life transitions spark employees to explore job changes. Having support options in place that provide new parents with schedule flexibility or caregivers with vetted backup resources helps foster loyalty that extends far beyond the transition itself.
Cost management:
Proactive support like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), mental health services, and caregiver support gives employees tools to manage change and challenges earlier, helping to avoid delayed care or reduce time off work.
Workplace culture:
How a company supports employees in life’s more challenging moments defines its workplace culture, affecting satisfaction, recruiting, and retention. Employees increasingly look for employers who support the whole person, both on and off the job. Having a reputation for empathy, flexibility, and real-life support can be a powerful differentiator.
Providing support to meet the moment
Life transitions are inevitable. When organizations recognize their role in supporting the whole person (not just the worker), they create environments where people can effectively navigate life’s ups and downs. Even more importantly, when employees know their employer will support them through life’s changes, they bring their whole selves to work, contribute more meaningfully, and stay longer.
Get in touch to talk about providing meaningful support that works for your workforce.
- Bridges, W. (2003). Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change (2nd ed.). Da Capo Press, New York. ↩︎
