When Life Disrupts Work - by Nataliya Boychenko Stone (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When life disrupts work, leaders need to know what to do next. This practical guide shows leaders at organizations of every size, from small businesses to large corporations, how to support employees through hard moments while strengthening trust across the workplace.

This is the book to read before the crisis happens, so you can respond with confidence, care, and clarity when it does.

Life disruptions do not stay outside the workplace. Grief, illness, caregiving, divorce, infertility, and other major life events shape how people show up at work, yet most organizations still do not prepare leaders for these moments. Even caring managers can freeze, unsure what to say, how to help, or how to balance support with team needs.

The challenge is not whether a life disruption will affect your team. It is when. The leaders who build trust in difficult moments are the ones who prepare before those moments arrive.

Drawing on original PhD research, interviews with employees and leaders, and nearly two decades of experience advising employers on benefits and workplace strategy, Dr. Nataliya Boychenko Stone gives leaders a practical guide for responding with confidence and care. She shows readers how to

• understand what support an employee actually needs,
• connect people with the right workplace resources,
• adjust work with clarity and flexibility,
• stay present after the first crisis moment, and
• support employees while maintaining accountability.

This practical framework helps managers, HR professionals, and organizational leaders navigate life's most challenging moments at work while strengthening trust, loyalty, and performance across their teams.

Review Quotes

"Something every leader has faced but few have been trained to handle well: the moment an employee walks in carrying a crisis that has nothing to do with their job and everything to do with how they are able to show up for it. Boychenko Stone shows us that compassion is not a soft skill but a leadership discipline with real consequences for trust, loyalty, and performance."
--Raj Sisodia, cofounder of Conscious Capitalism, Inc., and coauthor of The Healing Organization and Everybody Matters

"Every leader eventually faces moments when an employee's personal life collides with their professional responsibilities. Those conversations are rarely easy, but they matter. This book offers practical guidance for leading others through life's most difficult moments while reinforcing the accountability that strong organizations depend on."
--Johnny C. Taylor Jr., President and CEO, SHRM, and author of RESET

"When Life Disrupts Work is a long-overdue, intellectually delivered reminder to all leaders that we must care for and develop our workers. Boychenko Stone understands that empathy, intellect, and constructive development is essential for the leader to develop their most precious input to their work--the people who work for them."
--Michael M. Crow, President, Arizona State University

"No one ever saves a chapter in their life for pain, loss, or physical suffering. Yet it is all around us, quietly walking through our workplaces, dressed for work each day. Having a leader who sees them, listens to them, and walks alongside them can mean the world. Boychenko Stone thoughtfully provides every leader with practical touchpoints to respond with dignity, compassion, and grace when employees need it most."
--Miriam Erickson Brown, Chair and CEO, AE Dairy

"Caring for people and building a strong business go hand in hand. When Life Disrupts Work shows leaders how supporting people through their hardest moments builds the trust and culture that make organizations stronger."
--Dan Keough, Chairman and CEO, Holmes Murphy

About the Author

Dr. Nataliya Boychenko Stone is a senior vice president, market leader, shareholder, national speaker, and adjunct professor whose work sits at the intersection of leadership, benefits, and workplace culture. A Ukrainian native based in Iowa, she brings nearly two decades of experience advising employers on employee benefits and organizational strategy. She earned her MBA and PhD from Drake University, where her doctoral research focused on how leaders and organizations can better support employees through life transition events. Stone is also a widely recognized speaker and convener of employer and HR leaders.