How Businesses Can Spot an Employee in Need

Employers have a responsibility to protect their employees’ health and wellbeing. If you are worried a member of staff might be struggling in their role, with a mental health issue, or a personal problem, you must learn to spot the signs to help them get back on the right track.

Also read: 5 Signs of Employee Burnout You Might Be Missing and What You Can Do About It

For example, you can provide them with helpful advice and support to help them feel happier both inside and outside of the workplace. Counseling and showing that you care can help your employee realize that drug dependency or fighting a mental health disorder does not have to be a lonely road to take. Find out how businesses can spot an employee in need.

Understand the Warning Signs

Signs that an employee is struggling could manifest in their behavior or performance, which may be highly unusual if the employee in question used to be motivated and a good worker who usually excelled. For example, they might display a poor attitude, procrastinate, and experience increased inefficiency. They might also isolate themselves from their colleagues or have decreased confidence. What’s more, they may be rude or not be able to keep their moods in check.

Should a member of staff experience a dip in performance or attitude, speak to them one-on-one to discover the reason behind their unusual behavior and how you can help. However, remember that they may hide their issues, especially if they are suffering from drug addiction.

Check in with Your Staff Regularly

Working long hours, meeting tight deadlines, and juggling multiple tasks can take its toll on your employees. That is why it is important to regularly check in with staff to find out how they are feeling, especially if they appear rundown, agitated or nervous. This will provide them with an opportunity to discuss any worries or problems they are experiencing inside or outside of work.

Also read: 5 Tips for Millennials to Improve Professional Communication

To help with low mood, you may be able to split their workload, suggest they take vacation time or find a way for them to better manage their work without running themselves into the ground. With the latter, for instance, if they are falling behind because you haven’t made use of the latest technology to help with automating tedious tasks, then you may need to invest in the latest technology so that they can complete their tasks for easily.

Look for Signs of Substance Abuse

Unfortunately, there might be some members of staff who turn to drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with their personal or professional problems. Signs can include a lack of motivation, low self-esteem, depression, physical agitation, or a decreased appetite.

However, you must not ignore the signs of a substance abuse problem in the workplace. The first thing you must do is have a private conversation with an employee to express your concerns and provide them with helpful resources for opiate addiction recovery.

Also read: Signs Your Coworker May Need Help with an Addiction

Confront Frequent Absence

An employer’s first instinct might be to take disciplinary action for an employee’s persistent absence. However, it might be a wise idea to simply talk to a member of staff first, so you can find out if they are struggling with personal issues that are affecting their working life.

It could be that they need help or support through this difficult period in their life. For example, they could benefit from extra vacation time to resolve an issue, or you could decrease their workload or working hours to help them get back on track. They could soon return to the hard-working, reliable member of staff you hired.

Invest in an HR Team

Unfortunately, there are many workplaces that fail to provide their employees with support from an HR team. Yet, they can be worth every penny of their salary, as they will provide your staff with a forum to air they problems or worries. As a result, they can spot issues before they spiral out of control, which can help with the smooth running of your business.

Image via Pexels.com