Are Employees Bringing Personal Anxieties To Work?
I recently watched Ed McMahon and his wife as they appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” This 85-year old man who laughed his way into my living room (as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on “The Tonight Show”) almost every night for 25 years looked devastated. He is suffering from a broken neck and a broken spirit. He explained that he has been unable to work since his neck injury 18 months ago. As a result of that and some other extenuating circumstances, he is losing his Beverly Hills home, valued at $4.8 million.
Most working Americans cannot imagine earning millions of dollars during their working careers and ending up at 85 years old with almost nothing. This is obviously a sad story of someone not properly managing their finances.
Many Americans fear facing increasingly higher gas prices, losing their homes, taking care of elderly parents, etc.
When your employees walk in the office or shop door, many are bringing their personal anxieties with them. Many Americans fear what the continuing high costs of commuting to work will do to their family budgets. Many fear that they soon will have to face hard budgetary choices---choosing between paying for gas, groceries or their mortgage payment.
As a baby boomer, I’ve seen and experienced the many ups and downs that economic cycles bring. I believe that times will get better. Americans are resilient, innovative and filled with optimism. Even though we’ve gone to the moon, I believe that we still have that old-fashioned pioneering spirit within us!
Meanwhile, what can an employer or supervisor do?
Most employers not only care about their employees, they need their employees’ productivity, efficiencies and attention to customer service performance.
I asked my colleague, Dr. Cara Whedbee, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and one of our Insights contributors, to share her thoughts about this very important human resource, our employees. Here is what she said:
- “Treat your employees as you want to be treated.
If you take your work home with you and your home life to work, then they are no different. We are all human.
As humans, sometimes we let our worries from home affect our thinking all day long. Imagine that! So, if Bob is normally an even-keeled personality, but today he is extremely angry, don’t take it personally! Instead, ask Bob a very simple question: Is everything okay? Then shut-up and listen. If Bob tells you something you feel constitutes him needing some personal time, tell him to take a break for 30 minutes to an hour and then come back. He will be much more productive after the break if something is really bothering him, than he will be if he just keeps pushing through.
After you have been thoughtful and asked Bob the question above, and maybe even have given him a break, if Bob’s behavior continues, or you suspect something more serious than a break will cure what is going on, it is time to set some boundaries.
First, pursuant to objective job-performance requirements incumbent upon Bob, you will want to refer Bob to your HR personnel. If there is a need to counsel Bob for job performance issues, you can and should give Bob the opportunity to raise and discuss issues that could be affecting his work. If Bob voluntarily raises any personal or medical issues as an explanation, speak immediately to your company’s HR professional who will either route Bob, depending on the circumstances, to a confidential Employee Assistance Program (“EAP”), give Bob a leave of absence, or determine whether he might be eligible for another legally entitled leave of absence (i.e., under the Family and Medical Leave Act). Regardless of the situation, however, you should never assume that an employee has any type of mental or medical issue, and you should not play the role of either physician or therapist.
- Never try to be the counselor for your employees!
As noted above, much as you may hope to help Bob, you should not diagnose or try to counsel Bob on any assumed medical or mental health condition. Do not put yourself in this situation simply because you think it would help. Instead, do the next best thing for you, your business and Bob, and use the approach above to counsel Bob objectively on job-related issues. Ultimately there is a high likelihood that in going this route, Bob will be even more productive for you.”
Additional Resources:
The National Institute of Mental Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mental Health Group
When your employees walk in the office or shop door, many are bringing their personal anxieties with them.
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