Workplace depression costs employers billions each year. While employers cannot diagnose depression, they can be aware of the signs and encourage their employees to seek assistance.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: N/A
Here's How:
- Educate yourself about depression. Depression is an illness, not a character flaw. When a person's illness is under control, they may be your best employee.
- When a person is depressed, they may stop caring about their own safety. Look for risk taking and proneness to accidents.
- A depressed person can go through a wide variety of moods, such as irritability, anger and sadness. They may become uncooperative or sulky.
- Be on the lookout for morale problems. Employees may express dissatisfaction with themselves, their home life, or their job.
- Depression can make a person feel fatigued. Listen for frequent statements of how tired they feel.
- Absenteeism may rise. Because it is not socially acceptable to take off work for depression, employees may frequently call in sick with other complaints such as colds or flu.
- It is very common for those with untreated depression to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol.
- Look for signs of decreased productivity and loss of pride in work.
- People who ignores the stresses in their lives are most prone to psychosomatic illness. Listen for complaints of unexplained aches and pains.
- Have a talk with your employee about the changes you have observed. Let them know that although you expect their performance to improve, you realize they may have some personal problems.
- Offer your employee information about what they can do to get assistance, such as counseling through an Employee Assistance Program.
- Be empathetic and non-judgmental, just as you would for any other illness.
- Set clear guidelines of what you expect from your employee. Be clear about what allowances company policy allows you to make for their illness.
- Ensure your employee that what they say to you and their counselor will be kept confidential.
Tips:
- Do not try to diagnose depression yourself. Give your employee information about your company's EAP, if you have one, or recommend that they see a physician.
- A depressed person may need some special allowances, such as a flexible schedule while they get well. Contact your Human Resources Director to learn what your company's policy is.
- Severe depression may be life-threatening to the employee. Take any suicide threats seriously and contact an EAP counselor or other professional for more information about what you should do.
