We live in a world of stress. There is a lot of pressure on people to do more, earn more, and be more. Stress affects people differently and everyone has a unique way of coping and limits of how much they can endure. A bad winter like this one might be a last straw.
When job performance declines, there may be several contributing factors. Poor job performance can be the result of personal problems. Don’t ignore the signs. Suggest that the employee contact the EAP as soon as you suspect that a personal problem may be responsible for the job problem.
As a manager, what can you do when personal problems start to affect work performance?
1. Speak to the employee about the performance issues you are noticing.
2. Don’t worry about hurting someone’s feelings. You are in a great position to make a profound difference in someone’s life.
3. Call the EAP. You can have a confidential consultation where the EAP counselor will listen and coach you on next steps.
4. Notify HR of these activities.
We all know that personally stressful situations occur, but we may not realize the frequency or the extent to which they affect people.
Don’t wait to take a positive step by talking to an employee about your concerns. You might save someone’s life.
