- Oct
- 9
- 2017
How You Can Help with the Help of EAP
I know one of my employee’s is depressed and not doing well. What should I do? Here’s some advice from by Curtis Reisinger, PhD, director of Northwell Health’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and his team of experts.
Firstly, forget the diagnosis advises the EAP team. As a manager your job is to assess your employee’s performance, not their mental condition. Yes, you might be right, you might know their story, and yet keep in mind, their decreased functioning can be due to literally hundreds of other issues. Instead focus on the behaviors that you observe and are more certain of:
- their performance is not as good as it used to be
- they are coming in late too frequently
- they are making mistakes where they had not in the past
It is important that you discuss your recent observations with this employee shortly after you observe them. It is also important that you not ignore or let too many events pass without addressing the issues. Tolerance of subpar performance can tend to set a new lower bar for performance.
Gain Confidence with EAP
EAP consultants can help managers approach employee’s with personal issues including suspected mental health impairments. They can guide you on how to get passed your own hesitations about approaching an employee who is appears in mental distress or emotional pain.
“Sometimes a productive dialogue can get started with a simple statement such as ‘are you OK?'” adds Curtis.
If you have related questions or just want to know more about EAP’s free and confidential consultation service, give them a call at 1-877-327-4968.