Family breakups damaging Scottish business, collaborative lawyers say

Breakups in employees' personal lives are impacting on businesses in Scotland, but most employers are failing to offer the necessary support to those affected, according to a group of lawyers who work to reduce conflict in divorce and separation.

Research released today by Consensus Collaboration Scotland reveals that 15% of people have seen their workplace hit by sick leave following the stress of a breakup, and 14% say that separation or divorce had a negative impact on productivity. Often people have had to leave jobs after a split, or have a colleague who has.

Yet, despite the effect it has on them or their colleagues, just 8% of people think their employers offer adequate support for people going through a breakup, with 34% saying more needs to be done to provide support in the workplace for those undergoing separation or divorce.

It is estimated that divorce costs the British economy up to £46bn every year; and the British Chambers of Commerce recently emphasised the relationship between employees’ wellbeing and business productivity.

Consensus promotes a collaborative approach, which focuses on reducing conflict and stress and ensuring positive financial choices, as a better alternative to acrimonious divorce.

Specialist family lawyer Cath Karlin, past chair and treasurer of Consensus, and a partner at bto solicitors, said: “It can be easy to forget that sometimes things going on outside of work have a profound effect on what happens within it, as these figures show.

“With workers here in Scotland seeing a notable impact on productivity, taking sick leave, or even leaving their jobs altogether, divorce and separation is an issue that bosses in Scotland need to take seriously and look out for the warning signs.

“There are 147,870 small businesses (i.e. those with less than 50 employees) in Scotland, so losing just one member of staff, even for a short amount of time, can have a huge impact on productivity, and on the other people that work there."

With 73% of people in Scotland having been through a split themselves, or knowing someone who has, she added: “So, if someone you know at work is separating from their spouse or partner, encourage them to seek advice. Separation is tough, but there is a better way.”