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When world news spills into the workplace it can stir up a range of stress responses, requiring managers to take a trauma-informed approach and create "steadiness" for their people, according to a leadership specialist.

"Some moments in the news do not stay 'out there' – they follow people into the workday, sit in the background during meetings, and show up in the quiet gaps between tasks," ASPL Group CEO Kris Grant tells HR Daily.

"With the current war in the Middle East, employees may feel worry for family and friends, grief for lives lost, tension in their communities, or a deep sense of helplessness from watching constant updates," Grant says.

Repeated exposure to graphic imagery, death tolls, and distressing updates can increase stress symptoms and impair day-to-day functioning, she notes. In the case of employees who have lived through conflict, displacement, or persecution themselves, they can also trigger older memories and body-based stress responses...