How to spot an employee in need of help
You may have heard through many sources the number of people who can struggle without ever asking for help. If this happens to a team member at your company, there can be consequences for all concerned, so it is important that you spot when somebody might need help. Luckily, there are ways to spot this, and we have put together some helpful tips.
Have regular conversations with your team
You should invite each individual team member for a chat from time to time, as this gives you the option to talk to them about what they’re enjoying about the job, and what they may feel is challenging. Although they probably wouldn’t openly ask to see you to tell you they’re struggling, a conversation can be a great place to start, and they may open up.
Learn as much as you can about warning signs
There can be lots of things that people in the workplace might be going through, and many of these things might not be work related. Often, home issues can affect work life too, and these issues could include domestic abuse, stress, depression or financial pressures. There are lots of warning signs for this, including withdrawal, irritability, emotional responses to situations and a lesser standard of work than you may be used to from them. If you notice any of these things then there is a high chance that they are struggling with something at home, so you should have a chat to them.
Don’t brush things under the carpet
As a manager, you have a duty of care for all of the people who work for you. This means that you should act upon any instincts that you may have if you feel that something might not be right. If you see that somebody is acting differently, you should approach them to make sure everything is alright. The employee in question might be desperate, but unclear about how they should ask for help, and you taking the time to talk to them could literally change their lives.
By bringing up the matter that you feel could be a problem, it gives your team member a great chance to chat to you about anything that could be concerning them. Try not to pry, but ensure that they know that there are options for them should they want help, or even a simple chat. It is always important to help people when you can, and this could change their life very much for the better in the long term.