Updated September 2026: in 2020 I was on long-planned leave when the national lockdown began. A company email promised that jobs and salaries were safe and staff should work from home, but silence from my team still made me anxious until I called a colleague. I have rewritten it into lessons on employer communication in a crisis, from the employee's side.
My leave had been booked long before, and I continued it when the lockdown was announced. Within hours, the company emailed everyone: connect from home until further notice; jobs and salaries would not be affected. That mail meant a great deal. Still, with no messages from my own team for days, I grew nervous and phoned a colleague to check in.
Why did a company email matter so much?
Because uncertainty is the hardest part of a crisis. A clear, early statement on jobs and pay, from the top, removes the biggest fear. Employers who communicated quickly and plainly in March 2020 earned lasting trust; those who stayed silent left people to fill the gap with rumours.
Why does silence from your own team still worry you?
Company-wide messages are general. What people want to know is how it applies to them: is my project continuing, is my manager expecting me online, does my leave still stand? When a team goes quiet, people assume the worst about their own position.
What should you do if you are on leave during a crisis?
- Read official communications first, and save them.
- Message your manager briefly to confirm your leave stands and ask if anything is needed.
- Check in with a colleague for practical updates, as I did.
- Prepare for return: equipment, access and connectivity at home.
Should you cut your leave short?
Only if your manager asks or your role is critical to keeping services running. Approved leave during an uncertain period is still leave, and returning rested helps more than logging in anxious. Confirming that you are reachable for anything genuinely urgent is usually enough.
What can managers learn from it?
Send a short team message within a day of any company announcement, even if nothing has changed: "Company update applies to us; projects continue; anyone on leave, enjoy it and we will catch up on your return." It costs a minute and prevents days of anxiety.
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