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The stress and anxiety brought on by a divorce have a significant effect on an employee’s performance and productivity. In fact, recent research from the U.S. has revealed that divorce costs American businesses around $300 billion per annum. In tough economic times, businesses value productivity and efficiency more than ever and an employee could well find themselves subjected to disciplinary action or, worse yet, dismissed if their performance is below par. This will not only place the individual in question under further stress, but – considering how costly a divorce can be – could also subject the individual in question to significant financial strain. Fortunately, there are steps that an individual can take to minimise the effect that their divorce can have on their employment. Here are Quickie Divorce’s top 5 tips: 1. Accept the fact that your divorce will affect your work Like it or not, a divorce is certain to distract you from the task at hand, whether it be writing a report or planning a presentation. Whilst you should still be able to complete your work to an acceptable standard, it’s unreasonable to expect yourself to maintain your previous performance when under such strain. Provided that you are still working to an acceptable standard during your divorce, then you should accept this for the time being. Promise yourself that your performance will improve once you have recovered from your divorce, though, and under no circumstances should you use your divorce as an excuse for producing work that is of an unacceptable standard. 2. Discuss your divorce with your manager Openly discussing your divorce with a superior can seem like a daunting prospect, but the vast majority of people will be sympathetic to your plight and your immediate manager – provided they possess the skills required to manage people effectively – will be no different. Don’t treat them like a therapist and disclose every gory detail, just inform them that you’re currently going through a divorce and are worried that your work may suffer as a result. Provided you’ve had this discussion, then your manager will know that you’re in need of some extra support and will be able to anticipate any potential problems. In some instances, they may even make reasonable adjustments to accommodate this. 3. Reward yourself for any achievements It would be unrealistic to expect yourself to maintain consistent positive performance at work whilst going through a divorce. You will no doubt have had several ‘bad days at the office’ before your divorce; you’re just likely to experience a few more now because of stress and anxiety. The good news is you’re still going to have the odd ‘good day at the office’ and it’s imperative that you reward yourself when you do. Whenever you achieve something at your place of work, treat yourself. This will not only improve your mood, but will also provide you with the motivation needed to maintain your performance and go on to achieve bigger and better things in the future. 4. Look after yourself During or after a divorce, many spouses simply forget to take care of themselves. Many revert to convenience foods because they’re now only cooking for one. Worse yet, a lot start drinking heavily. Needless to say, such actions will have a significant and adverse effect on the quality of their work. So, however obvious it may seem, maintain a healthy diet, drink in moderation, take frequent, light exercise and – most importantly of all – make sure you get enough sleep. Keeping yourself fit and healthy during a divorce will not only help you maintain your performance at work, it will also improve your overall quality of life. 5. Take some time off You may be tempted to hold onto your annual leave in order to have that holiday in the sun, but taking a week or two off in order to address matters concerning your divorce could be extremely beneficial. During this leave, you and your spouse could discuss contentious issues such as the division of assets and childcare arrangements. Provided these matters are agreed, then you can file for an uncontested divorce which could be finalised in as little as three months. What’s more, you could save a great deal of money by either getting a DIY divorce or using an online divorce provider like Quickie Divorce to file for you. You can always take a holiday in the sun next year and it’s in your best interest to deal with your divorce without delay. The sooner the matter is dealt with, the sooner you can recover and get back to your usual, productive self.