Boss Writes Heartfelt Letter To An Employee Who Suddenly Had A Panic Attack At Work And Had To Leave Early
Employees prefer a boss who's empathetic over a toxic, manipulative one.
insta_photos | Shutterstock There's nothing more refreshing than knowing there are bosses out there who actually care for the well-being and happiness of their employees. Too often, we hear horror stories of employees complaining about the lack of empathy they experience in the workplace, but despite how many bosses exist who just don't know how to lead a team with compassion, there are definitely still a few good ones out there as well.
In a post to the subreddit "r/MadeMeSmile," a Redditor shared a letter that was written to their partner who suffers from major anxiety and depressive disorders. That employee recently had a bad time at work while dealing with their mental health, and instead of getting upset or forcing the employee to work through their issues, the boss decided to take a softer, more gentle approach.
A boss wrote a heartfelt letter to an employee who had a panic attack at work and had to leave early.
"My partner, who has major anxiety and depressive disorders, had a panic attack at work last week, was super embarrassed, and had to leave early. They got this card from their boss a few days later," the Redditor began in their post.
Sharing a photo of the note that their partner had received, their boss started off by expressing the amount of gratitude they had for them. Their boss thanked them for being themselves and for sharing everything about themselves with the people they work with.
Reddit
"I wanted to remind you of your incredible strength. You show up, do your best every day, and it shows. You are appreciated by so many people," the boss penned in their letter. "I know the world can seem like a chaotic and scary place but keep remembering who you are!"
The boss continued, telling their employee that people may have lied and they may have believed the lies of others around them, but that doesn't take away from the fact that their employee is still a strong individual. Their boss reassured them that they're still a kind, beautiful, powerful, and most of all worthy person.
Their boss emphasized that they shouldn't let anyone tell them otherwise.
"The world needs what you have to offer," they continued in the letter. "Just keep being you. You are already whole. You always have been enough."
As rare as this is, it's refreshing to know that a boss would go out of their way to write a heartfelt letter to an employee who's clearly struggling and needs support more than anything else. Too often, we hear tales of a toxic boss who would most likely look for a way to fire an employee who left work early to deal with their mental health issues instead of offering comfort and sympathy.
As one commenter noted, "There's a pretty common phrase with a lot of variations that's basically, 'People don't leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.' The inverse also seems true; that people will stay when they have good bosses."
Most employees agree that effective leadership starts with compassion.
The kind of boss people want to work for is someone who actually cares about them instead of only caring about profit. According to a survey from consulting firm Gartner, just over 1 in 4 employees, 29%, say their supervisors are effective at human leadership.
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Workplaces where supervisors show human leadership tend to have employees who are considerably more engaged with their work, leading to better overall performance, according to the firm's research. They even found improvements in employees’ overall well-being, making it more likely that they would remain with the company instead of looking for a new job.
One Redditor confirmed the firm's findings, stating, "I stayed at a job I could only tolerate for ten years because I loved my bosses."
It's not just about being a good human being. Having empathy for your employees means there will be success for the company as well. People don't want to work for someone who couldn't care less about their well-being, that's simply the truth of it.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
