Is shipping cilantro seeds legal? You think you could get it to grow? Cilantro is so important.

This still gets me every time.

It’s all tied together. It’s all health and wellbeing. Supervisors, before your team abandons you like I did my employer of several years, fucking do better.

If your job is sprinting, and you’ve sprained your ankle, your coach does not tell you that that’s not an excuse. If you’re a painter and you’ve developed a massive tremor, no one can tell you that’s not an excuse not to produce the kind of masterpiece they’re used to seeing from you.

Responding this way to a literal cry for help is telling someone “I value your performance over your wellbeing and health.” Here’s the thing though- health and wellbeing literally define a persons performance.

The absolute wrong way to respond to this information would be to tell that employee that it’s “not an excuse” for poor performance. This is beyond predatory and unacceptable behavior from a supervisor.

The right way- be empathetic, show concern, offer support, provide resources. This will show your direct report that their mental health is important to you, and they are not just a digit on your paycheck.