We all have bad days at the office, but if an employee is having some kind of personal meltdown, it will soon begin to impact on their productivity and performance. Part of being a manager is learning how to deal with the occasional crisis.
If you are an empathetic type, it should be easy to spot if an employee is going through a relationship breakdown, is abusing alcohol or drugs, or is addicted to online gambling sites. However, not all managers are clued up about these things, so here is a list of warning signs you should look out for.
Changes in Work Behaviour
People under stress don’t perform well at work. They start to make errors and have difficulties meeting deadlines, find it hard to concentrate on work-related tasks, and are less likely to participate in group projects or meetings.
If you notice an employee spending a lot of time on the telephone or they are taking too many breaks, you need to pay close attention. People dealing with difficult personal issues tend to bring their problems into the workplace, so work is pushed to one side as their issues take precedence.
Changes in Personal Behaviour
Work isn’t the only thing affected when an employee is buckling under the strain of personal problems. Tempers may flare and a person who is normally very laid back and level headed could end up snapping at everyone.
Absenteeism
Everyone needs time off for personal reasons occasionally, but if an employee is taking an unreasonable amount of time off with very little explanation, or their timekeeping has deteriorated, there is clearly a problem. You should always monitor absenteeism anyway. Look for patterns and call in the person for a chat if you suspect there is a problem.
Effective Management Skills
By being alert to issues, you can deal with problems before they snowball into a workplace crisis. Managers need to be proactive if an employee is having a hard time. It is important to be empathetic and provide any resources the person needs to resolve their problems, without allowing these issues to affect workplace productivity and morale.
Try and be as flexible as possible when you have an employee dealing with personal issues, but remember that there is a fine line between offering support and acting as an armchair therapist. Encouraging your employee to destress by reading or by playing online games at Lotto24 is one thing, but if the problem is outside of your control there may be little you can do. It is also important that managers maintain some objectivity and professionalism. If you step over the line into friendship, it can create problems further down the line.
Check in with your employee, but offer them the flexibility to let them deal with problems without feeling guilty about taking time off. Other team members may become resentful about having to pick up the slack, so let everyone know that the person is dealing with a personal problem (without giving details of course).
Always try and be a caring employer. Employees are people and the more you look after them, the more loyal they will be in return.
