W left work early Tuesday. Since she had not been feeling well this past week, I emailed her to make sure she was feeling all right. When she didn’t reply after a few hours, I took a chance and called her (friendly neighbor approach). I asked if she was feeling okay. She indicated she had a headache the past few days and didn’t feel like she could do her work, so she went home. I told her I hoped her headache cleared up. She said she is under a lot of stress. I told her I just wanted to know that she was all right. I wished her a happy evening and said goodbye. So I took action (phone call, something I have not generally done); I showed concern; and I kept it short (not trying to extend the conversation). I'm sure there was an opportunity for empathy and understanding, but it felt like that would be trying to draw out the conversation.
