Employers with operations in Ukraine and Europe are more likely to feel a direct impact due to the proximity to the war zone, but “it’s important not to overlook how geopolitical shocks might impact employees’ mental and emotional well-being,” no matter where they are located, finds research and consulting firm Gartner.

“They may have family in the affected area, connect the situation with past trauma, be challenged financially by sanctions, or see existing mental-health conditions exacerbated,” Gartner notes. “Especially when you look at a holistic picture of well-being, even the safety of those employees who aren’t physically located in the affected areas is not ensured.”

This is a good time for HR departments to make sure to promote their employee assistance programs for workers who may be struggling with mental and emotional health concerns. This war is occurring as workers are just coming off dealing with two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is important for top executives to provide resources and support to their managers so they in turn will be able to help their staff deal with this latest crisis.

Employees and managers alike should be aware of and try to minimize doomscrolling. Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, tells CNBC that doomscrolling is a coping mechanism, also known as “monitoring” where people try to deal with a crisis by seeking as much information as possible. But monitoring the war in Ukraine can be stressful especially for people who struggled through the pandemic.

“Many of us have little to no influence on the conflict in Ukraine at the moment,” Mendoza-Denton says. “That doesn’t mean we’re not invested or that we don’t care. But the reality is, we’re not the ones making the decisions.”

Employers need to be mindful that they may not know how much the war is impacting their employees, says Jen Porter, managing director at Mind Share Partners, a national workplace mental health nonprofit. Concerns can range from employees with family or friends in Ukraine or Russia to those who may have experienced a similar trauma in the past. “Remember how many people this is impacting who may never speak up about it,” Porter says.

One lesson for employers is how they helped their workers struggling with the pandemic over the last two years and the importance of offering empathy and support, writes Melissa Swift, US transformation leader at Mercer. “Employees have choices about where they work and their commitment drives the success of any organization; they will remember how their employer supported or didn’t support them in periods of crisis,” Swift notes. “Managing with empathy is now viewed by many as foundational to a resilient organization.”

Companies can provide ways for their employees to help those suffering during the war. “Helping others has been proven to improve mental health and well-being and there are countless ways to help with the crisis in Ukraine,” Swift says. “Provide a list of credible charities and organizations that are accepting donations and consider matching your employees’ donations.”