How one people leader oversaw HR while struggling with addiction

Everyone goes through hard times.

And people pros aren’t an exception. In some cases, they’re more likely to burn out: 54% of HR pros report “moderate or severe” burnout, compared to 48% of non-HR workers, according to research from nonprofit Mind Share Partners.

HR pros can become overwhelmed juggling their struggles with those of employees, according to Jessica Winder, chief people officer at Winder Law Firm. Winder shared how she’s led the people function while going through rough patches in her own life during a virtual event hosted by bereavement support platform Bereave on March 18.

“A quote that I love that says: ‘Just because I can carry it doesn’t mean it’s easy.’ So, just because I can carry this weight as HR, I can talk to you through what you’re going on in your life, doesn’t mean it’s not hard for me too,” Winder told Bereave’s CEO, Justin Clifford.

Personal struggles. Winder has worked in HR for nearly 15 years at companies including General Motors Financial. She also wrote a book, The Hidden Gem Within: Discovering Your Strengths and Talents for a Fulfilling Career, and founded a career coaching company, Hidden Gem Career Coaching. But, amid the successes, she also struggled with addiction.

“I talk really openly about addiction…We talk about, like bring your whole self to work. Well, I was absolutely struggling with addiction and [was] a director of HR,” Winder said. “These are things that people have going on in their life…It can be anything, really, that you have going on, that you’re struggling with, and you’re still doing your job.”

Before getting sober in January 2020, Winder said she felt like she was “living two different lives.” She recalled a time when, one week after getting a DUI, she got a promotion at work.

“People are struggling, and you have no idea,” she said. “I’ve had so many people that have come to me on LinkedIn and said, ‘Hey, I’m actively in addiction right now, and my job doesn’t know. What do I do?’ So, it’s almost like something I’m now coaching people through.”

Everyone has something in their life impacting how they show up to work, Winder said, whether a sleepless newborn, a divorce, or a sick family member.

“You don’t know what everyone’s going through,” she said. “Those things are things that are heavy that are happening outside of what’s going on in the larger world.”

How HR can take care of themselves. Winder said she’s found support and community through her network of people leaders.

“When these things happen, I have a group chat that I can text and say, ‘This is what’s going on with one of my employees. Have you had this happen?’” she said. “We had an employee who, unfortunately, had a safety issue with a spouse, and I had to text this group chat and say, ‘Do I call the police? Does she call the police? Is she safe to come here? How do we get her to safety?...What would someone do in this situation?’”

Her advice for HR pros? Don’t put off PTO as if it’s a “badge of honor,” Winder said. “Take every single day that is available to you, go on vacation, step away, [and] have strong boundaries.”