Don’t Make Things Worse

My staff and I are constantly reminding our managers that sometimes the issues our employees are struggling with are outside our realm of expertise as business professionals.

“Maryanne, do you remember the situation with Emil and Bobby Rogers a few years ago?”

“Kyle, how could I forget that one. So much drama and trauma. What makes you bring it up now?”

“Employee well-being and mental health are such hot topics these days and I always remember you stressing how business professionals must turn to health care professionals, such as licensed therapists, to diagnose and treat mental health issues.”

Kyle went on to explain that it was one of the current topics they’d be exploring in one of his masters’ program classes. He flicked his hair back off his forehead as he looked up and smiled at Maryanne before asking her if she’d be interested in speaking to them.

“Of course,” Maryanne said smiling back at him. 

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“It’s not about yoga balls and mindfulness practices,” Maryanne said to the laughter of the class. “However, managers do have to be mindful that taking care of employee mental health means recognizing signs and symptoms of distress and learning how to respond to them.”

“Don’t we have an obligation to intervene?” someone asked.

Maryanne went on to explain that the biggest mistakes she has seen are that managers have either ignored situations or trivialized issues because they were afraid—often of the behavior being exhibited, or they stepped in and tried to intervene—fix an underlying, unidentified problem, or acted as a confidant without professional training. These only exacerbated things.

“Too often, managers and business professionals, despite their best intentions, only make things worse. Partnering with licensed therapists through your employee assistance program or EAP is the best step forward. I read a study by Deloitte recently that for every dollar a company invests in mental health, it reaps five dollars in benefits.”

“Maryanne, explain how our EAP helps our managers and employees,” said Kyle.

“Glad you brought that up. Yes, their therapists can treat our employees who need assistance, but companies often overlook the help they can provide managers. I mentioned recognizing signs and symptoms—well a manager can talk with a therapist, describe what’s going on, and the therapist can help the manager recognize what they need to do. They can guide a manager through the process of referring the employee to the EAP where they can get professional treatment.”

“This all sounds good, but not everyone is in mental distress. What about psychologically safe work environments?” someone else asked.

“Mental health issues probably affect all of us at some point in our lives—to varying degrees, of course. So don’t discount mental distress,” Maryanne responded. “But you raise a good point. Everyone deserves to be in an environment with leaders that set clear expectations, listen with empathy, and show curiosity and vulnerability. No matter their mental health status at any given point in time, people do their best work and thrive in cultures that are trusting, fair and transparent, where they feel comfortable speaking up, asking for help, disagreeing and raising concerns.”

“And our EAP has helped our managers through coaching and training sessions so they can develop the skills for sustaining psychological safety in our organization’s workplace,” added Kyle.

“This was a great overview, Maryanne,” said the class instructor. “And thank you for sharing some real-life experiences along with your practical advice.”

Want to know more about Maryanne, Kyle, Emil and Bobby Rogers and the drama and trauma they faced? Pick up a copy of  They Did What?