Stop, Look, Listen

This is what we teach our children when stepping out into that busy road; simple but very effective. It can be just as daunting for an employee who suffers from a form of mental health issue when stepping out into the busy world of business, so why not apply the same technique and take time to stop, look and listen to your employees?
Winter is fast upon us and so are all of the colds and flu which come with it. When asked by a colleague “how are you feeling today?”, it’s much easier to say “terrible”, when our nose is bright red, our eyes are puffy and it’s abundantly obvious that we are physically unwell, but it’s perhaps more difficult to be as open when the illness is not physical.
It may be possible for some employees to present the image of being calm, like a swan on a beautiful lake, whilst underneath the water the legs are paddling faster than you can imagine, just to keep afloat. This must feel very lonely, but there are often signs if you stop to look and listen for them.
Not listening could prove very costly, to both the individual and to your business, through lost production, recruitment and absence. You can help by monitoring workloads, the physical environment and the nature of relationships at work. Develop solutions by listening – sometimes all you need to do is help employees to help themselves. An employee may already have coping strategies or medical advice that they can follow, but showing empathy always helps.
Spotting the signs, promoting awareness of mental health issues, keeping communication channels open and engaging with the problem will only serve to help both you and the employee.
For any further advice on how to address problems at work, then just give Howarths a call and one of our specialist and legally qualified team will be happy to discuss.
Telephone 01274 864999 and speak to Andrea or email andrea@howarths-uk.com