could be a personal matter in their own personal lives that has gotten out of control (as so goes everything about them).
Interesting, a woman speaks about this who, herself, is a CEO and has Bipolar II.
So, from her perspective (CEO and managing a mental health disorder herself), she just so happens to be able to offer advice from both slants of [an employee] “needing coaching” or “needing counseling.”
Triplett suggests:
The employee you have come to know and trust usually performs as expected and shows up in a way that is productive for the entire team. But over time, or even just occasionally, you are seeing someone whom you don’t recognize.
I recently wrote about coaching versus counseling, but this question was asked by numerous readers: “How can you tell when an employee needs coaching, and when he needs more serious help?” Don’t get me wrong, but coaching can be serious help. However, I think what you are actually asking is: When does an employee need professional psychological help based on the observation of a significant change in behavior?
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a mental illness is a condition that impacts a person’s thinking, feeling, or mood and that may affect his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis. Each person will have different experiences; even people with the same diagnosis will react differently. As an employer, your job is not to diagnose or be intrusive, but rather to create an environment wherein all employees feel a sense of security. There are early-warning signs that are observable and can suggest that something more serious is occurring. I believe you will be able to tell if an employee needs professional help by his actions and behaviors that impair his day-to-day activities. Here are three primary behaviors that you should be concerned about.
- Playing the role of Houdini.
A person with a mental illness may ordinarily be reliable to a fault, but when experiencing an episode he may appear to pulling a disappearing act. The employee may miss work for hours to weeks without any excuse or explanation. This may be due to a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness such as (cont’d)
