Managing Medically Influenced Behavioral Problems on the Job

Major depression affects 15-20 percent of the population. A research report from Stony Brook University in November received widespread attention because its author supported further investigation into the possibility that major depression could be the result of “some parasitic, bacterial, or viral infection” not yet identified. Infectious was mischaracterized as contagious in other media. The two do not necessarily equate. Not long ago, stomach ulcers were determined to be caused by H. pylori bacteria, not stress. The idea is similar. With regard to the workplace, many studies have shown that employee morale can be affected by the attitudes and behaviors of coworkers. In this sense, depression’s effects can be “contagious” if behavioral issues of those affected by it influence others and negatively impact morale or productivity. Rely on a contracted EAP professional or if you are smart enough to have an EAP firm on retainer, use them, when you are concerned about an employee’s behavior. Do not attempt to decide whether an employee is or is not depressed. It will lead to a discussion. That discussion will lead to "assurances" from your employee everything is just fine. That will lead to a temporary cure as a result of increased effort to control symptoms, and that will lead to relapse...or worse. There is such a thing as behavioral-medical problems that affect performance. 12% of employees are affected by such problems, but you have no ability to manage this "strata" of employee behavior. You must rely upon pros. To see our supervisor courses go to http://workexcel.com

Forget About Employee Burnout, At Least In One Respect..

There are job performance issues associated with burnout, but using them to determine if your employee faces burnout is not a good idea. This is because these behavioral signs and symptoms are mostly secondary to the mental health issues of burnout underlying them. Also, other problems may contribute to what appear to be burnout symptoms. Avoid this diagnostic examination and pondering because you will make more efficient referrals to the EAP. For example, one symptom of burnout may be dread at getting up in the morning to go to work. You can’t document “dread,” but you can document tardiness. Another symptom of burnout may be resentment toward other employees who love their jobs and are bright-eyed about their careers. You can’t document resentment, but you can document conflict. It is hard to document “lack of motivation,” but it is easy to document incomplete assignments, lack of initiative, or work delays. I am afraid when you search the most effective supervisor training programs, that you will not find this level of insight because the folks who write most of these courses are too far removed from the trenches, the inter-psychic issues of employees, and the hard knocks it takes to deal with the relational issues. However, you will find this material here. Supervisor Training for Management