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Chairs and Supervisors

HOW TO TALK TO DISTRESSED EMPLOYEES
As department chairs, supervisors, directors and team leaders, your first consideration will be the employee's behavior. Sometimes these behavior problems affect the employee's well being or the safety of others. The employee might be preoccupied, unhappy or acting in an unusual manner. In rare instances, behavior is unusual enough that the lives of other people could be affected. At times the behavior affects job performance and the supervisor must implement a disciplinary process. (Human Resources can assist you to implement a disciplinary process.) For example, employees frequently might be late or call in sick to work, procrastinate or leave tasks incomplete, act inappropriately with other employees or with students, experience interpersonal problems, or be inebriated on the job.

You can have a profound effect on an employee by openly acknowledging that you are aware of her/his change of behavior and that you are sincerely concerned about her/his welfare. At times the employee will refuse the resources you provide to help with the problem. Although an employee may refuse assistance, you may still require, as part of the structured discipline process, that work performance be improved. Keep in mind that employees are in no way obligated to talk with you about personal problems. They are required however, to meet job performance expectation. If you have reason to believe that an employee is experiencing distress related to a potential, serious threat to self or to another person, or related to sexual harassment, you are obliged to intervene. The Employee Assistance staff can assist you in weighing the severity of the situation and whether or not the situation warrants measures refused by the employee.

Tips on Recognizing and Dealing with Employees in Distress
A Reference Resource
This document addresses how to deal with a variety of situations in which an employee presents concerns. While specifically directed to department chairs, supervisors, directors, and team leaders, this information is appropriate for any employee concerned about co-workers and employees at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. To contact EAP to talk with you about the best course of action in a sensitive situation please call The University Counseling Center at 424-2061.

• General Signs of Distress
• How to talk to Distressed Employees
• Danger Signals for Severly Depressed or Potentially Suicidal Behavior
• How to Help the Employee Find Assistance
  • Emergency Situations
  • Non-Emergency Situations
  • Appointments
  • Referrals
• Additional Consultations is Available to You
• The Process of Making Referrals
• Confidential Employee Consultations
• Guidelines for Dealing with Specific Problems
  • The Anxious Employee
  • The Demanding Employee
  • The Depressed Employee
  • The Grieving Employee
  • The Employee in Poor Contact with Reality
  • The Substance Abusing Employee
  • The Suicidal Employee
  • The Suspicious Employee
  • The Verbally Aggressive Employee
  • The Violent or Physically Destructive Employee
  • The Traumatized Employee
• Emergency Contacts and Numbers
• Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM)
• On- and-Off-Campus Resources