Tweet

5 Telltale Signs of an Employee in Distress

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair

Article Overview: Ever wonder when you should intervene in a work/personal issue or when you shouldn’t? How much should you ask about a personal problem? Read on the find the balance of what to ask or not ask and the telltale signs to watch for.

5 Telltale Signs of an Employee in Distress

Have you ever watched a really good employee begin to slide down a slippery slope of poor performance? Have you wondered how much you should intervene? Have you ever spent a sleepless night knowing the problem is far more than a work situation? These are the dilemmas all supervisors and managers face at one time or another. The question is where to draw the line. There is the temptation to diagnose the problem, or simply ignore it. Like a bad cold, you hope a week of coughing and sneezing, and a large dose of vitamin C will cure everything, and it's back-to-business as usual.

However, once you see a pattern of behavior begin to show up, it is vital that you do something. No, you are not meant to prescribe or treat, yet, you are meant to take a stand and help the employee find a way out of a tough spot. When you help by pointing the individual in the right direction, you are not only doing your job as a leader, you may well save a whole family from some ugly long term consequences.

Take Don, for example. Every Monday morning for a month he called in with one excuse after another. He had a fever; his car wouldn't start; his wife had a sprained ankle and he had to take her to the doctor; the pipe burst in the kitchen. Until recently he had been a good and valued employee, and the reasons for his absenteism were all valid. So the tendency is to believe him and hope that the black cloud over his head goes away.

Yet, on Tuesdays there was this annoying thought that his eyes were very bloodshot and his concentration was off. By Wednesday everything seemed back to normal, so with a deep breath of relief, it was business as usual, until the cycle would start again the following Monday.

Here are the telltale signs to watch:

• Lack of concentration or decline in work performance

• Frequent absences or tardiness

• Increased interpersonal conflict with co-workers

• Isolation or withdrawal from colleagues

• Change in attitude or appearance

The best position to take is one of caring and concern, yet, with very clear guidelines. You can address the change of behavior by stating "I know you have been coming to work late many days lately, and I wonder what is happening that is contributing to this behavior?" and then just listen. From there it is best to refer the individual to HR or to a local EAP. It is not in your best interest to become involved in the specifics of the situation.

Let me underline that while it is critical that you find a way to help your employee take an action to get some help, it is not your job to diagnose or treat; when you notice something out-of-the-ordinary going on, deal with it immediately.

Like a chronic illness, if ignored it often turns into something more serious. And if left untouched, the quality of the whole team is put in jeopardy and then you have not just one - you have a number of unhappy employees. So, once your expectations are not met, step in and take action. You and your entire staff are the better for the truth being told.

Please remember, while you can be concerned and caring, WORK IS NOT A REHAB FACILITY!

Related Articles
  Turn the browsers into buyers…
  Signs
  Entrepreneur Education: Work Is Not a Rehab Facility
  How to Deal: Difficult Leaders
  MISSED WARNING SIGNS OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE IN FORT HOOD AND ORLANDO SHOOTINGS
  Exceptional Business Leaders Know How to Find and Read the Signs Do You
  Maintenance Prevents Pain
  Keeping Your Employees Focused in an Uncertain Economy
  Building Training Goals into Employee Reviews
  Protect your Workplace from the Violence and Murder of Annie Le at Yale University
  Achieve High-Impact Publicity Using Custom Signs
  Buying damaged goods How to evaluate a distressed companys potential
  Are You Serving Your Customers Well?
  The Substance Abusing Employee
  Expanding your franchise business
  Plain English Guide to Employee Handbooks
  What Fork Will You Take to Increase Sales?
  Sales Training – Salesperson’s Universal Distress Signals
  You didn’t say I’d be fired!
  Visually Appealing Custom Signs Help To Promote Business Positively

Article Tags: behavior patterns, personal problem, telltale signs



Related Forum Posts
Post subject: It's Not Personal, just business - I so agree! Actually, the business world as we know it IS in trouble. I heard some stats last week that they expect by the time 2050 that 70% of workers will be freelancers. Employee/Executive Bullying won't be able to stand it when it could be easier for someone to simply contract with the nicer guy (or gal). I, for one, will be choosing the nicer ones!
2 Forums Updates - Many of you have been writing in suggesting that on my website and in my newsletter we include the link to the actual forum post and not just the name of the post and a link to the Forums home page. Well, after looking into it I'm pleased to announce that this feature is now available. Thank you everyone for the suggestions! We've also added names for members based on how much they post. Level one is Newbie, Level 2 is Intern, Level 3 is Employee and so on... There are 10 levels in total. I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone does! Keep the suggestions coming - they are great!
Re: Finding AND Keeping Good People - Employee retention or as you mention “Keeping the Good People” is one of the biggest challenges for any growing business. It takes a huge effort from the entrepreneur’s end. I can come up with the following when it comes to KEEPing the good people- 1. Motivation of the employees 2. Recognition of the needs of the employees 3. Activities to make the employees feel valuable towards the organization 4. Make benefits more accessible 5. Offer profit sharing incentives 6. Create clear career paths at the company 7. Consider telecommuting, job sharing and other flexible working arrangements 8. Incentives are essential and they don't have to be huge 9. Have other managers praise an employee's work 10. Be sensitive to the balance between work and private life
Napoleon on Project Management - Why do I include this in a list of books aimed at female entrepreneurs? Well...in the expectation that there are as many female history buffs as male ones, and in the belief that anyone interested in history will find this book fascinating, while those interested in project management will learn a thing or two. I think this was the first "gimmick" book - an author using a historical figure (usually a male, military figure, it must be admitted) to talk about modern day business management. I refuse to read any of the kind that advocates - even obliquely - the techniques of the Sopranos or the Mossad - but these military ones are pretty fun. Anyway: Only in the understanding of history, Napoleon might say, do we gain an understanding of strategy in the present. In the same spirit, Napoleon on Project Management offers the recipe for successfully managing your commitments using the strategies, tactics and priorities that propelled Napoleon himself to victory. [The book doesn't gloss over how Napolean eventually fell in defeat, of course, and there's lessons to be learned there as well. TOC Foreword by Douglas James Allan (Napoleanic Society of America) 1. The Rise to Power -The Skills to Succeed -A Compelling Vision -Diplomacy and Networking -Lessons from the Great Campaigns 2. Napoleon's 6 Winning Principles -Introduction -Exactitude -Speed -Flexibility -Simplicity -Character -Moral Force 3. The Downfall -What Went Wrong -Lessons from the Russian Invasion and Waterloo -The Four Critical Warning Signs -Napoleon's Legacy
HRPreneur - Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and I recently started my own Human Capital (HR) consulting firm called HRPreneur Inc. HRP focuses on making human capital a strategic differentiator for SME's. Below is a summary about HRP; Who We Are: HRP is a Human Capital consulting firm with 30 years of experience that becomes an extension of your company by providing a full array of services to help you create a highly engaged workforce focused on achieving strategic results in order to build a long lasting great company! Mission: HRP provides small and medium sized businesses a Strategic HR Business Partner to increase employee engagement, resulting in cost savings, increased productivity and results at an affordable rate! Vision: To inspire and warrant SME's reach their full competency! Cost Effectiveness: We provide over 30 years of experience at a fraction of the cost at a strategic executive HR business level You will save between 50% to 60% in costs per year on salary, bonus, benefits, training, office space alone We will provide you additional cost efficiencies through our services Services: • Strategic Human Resources Planning • Organizational Redesign • Change Management • Organizational Culture Development • Employee Engagement Programs • Leadership Assessment and Development • Compensation Design • Talent Acquisition • Assimilation and On-Boarding • Performance Management • Talent Management & Succession Planning • Human Resources Due Diligence • Human Resources Audit • Full Service HR Outsourcing


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Winning Market Share in a Tough Economy

The Pure FUN of Learning & Using NLP

Work Place Counselling

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.