Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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When you’re going through a personal crisis, you’ll likely need the support of your colleagues. But they may not know how to be useful, so ask for their help thoughtfully and specifically.

Describe what you need and why the help is meaningful to you, and, as with any request at work, give a deadline. For example, you might say, “I’d love your assistance over the next two weeks while I’m out caring for my mother. Would you be able to complete the report we’ve been working on by next Thursday? It would free up my mind to focus on what I need to do at home.”

Research shows that how you frame a request strongly influences whether someone will agree to it. So being clear about exactly what you need will make it easier for your colleagues to help out when you need them.

Adapted from “What to Do When a Personal Crisis Is Hurting Your Professional Life,” by Amy Gallo

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