Q.   If an employee approaches a supervisor about a personal problem, should he or she always be referred to the EAP no matter what the problem might be? For example, my employee complained that he hadn’t seen a dentist in three years. I recommended mine.

A.   If your employee asks for a recommendation for a dentist, there certainly isn’t harm in sharing the name of the one you use. However, if the discussion includes reasons as to why this delay has occurred, a recommendation to talk to the EAP about those issues is appropriate. Every day, employees share personal problems with coworkers and supervisors at work. There is nothing unusual about it. However, some issues that at first appear benign are associated with severe problems that are suitable for bringing to the EAP. It is important for you as a supervisor to have a sense of curiosity about your employees and their well-being. The rationale is that your employees represent your most valuable resource. This curiosity does not mean involving yourself in employees’ personal matters or diagnosing problems. But it does mean going a step further when an employee approaches you with something personal, and considering whether an EAP issue exists in the situation he or she presents. Curiosity means asking why. In your case, a delay in seeing a dentist could be associated with fear or financial hardship, among other reasons.

Q.  I referred my employee to the EAP for attendance issues. He went, he signed a release, and the attendance problem is gone. The EAP was supposed to give me regular feedback, but I only heard from the counselor once. Should I assume everything is okay? 

A.  You should phone the EAP and inquire about communication expectations. The important goal of having the attendance problem corrected means your use of the EAP was a success. However, you are wondering if the communication process is complete. That’s evidence you and the EAP are not in sync. Don’t wait. Instead, reach out and inquire about what to expect when communicating with the EAP and how much longer you should anticipate the feedback continuing. If a release is no longer valid, which could be the reason communication has stopped, then the EAP will let you know. Sometimes employees fail to follow through with EAP recommendations, and they may decide to cancel a release at the same time. This could happen regardless of whether problems like absenteeism are continuing.

Q.  Does an EAP exist as a benefit for the employee, the employer, or both? A daycare center, a credit union on-site, gym memberships, and the like are for employees, so is an EAP on par with these sorts of benefits that employees value? 

A.  The installation of EAPs has a business rationale, but so do the other services you mention because they benefit the workforce by helping workers be happier, healthier, and more productive. The workforce is any organization’s most valuable resource, so in many respects there is no distinction between an employee benefit and an employer benefit made possible by a programmatic approach to helping troubled employees with personal problems that may (or may not) affect their job performance. Without supervisor education (e.g., this newsletter) and training on using them, EAPs are at risk of becoming programs that serve only as confidential counseling services of limited scope, primarily focused on the employee and not on the organization as a whole.

Q.  What is the most difficult roadblock to supervisors using the EAP in managing troubled employees? 

A.  The most difficult roadblock supervisors face in using the EAP to manage troubled employees is making the switch from doing it all themselves, to using a systematic approach to assess, refer, treat, and follow up on a troubled employee. The old approach may include ignoring problems until they precipitate a crisis. Although an employee may sign a release that provides for limited feedback about EAP participation, a supervisor is, by design, removed entirely from involvement in the employee’s problems. This shift can be difficult because the supervisor must give up the ability to control the helping process and its outcome. Turning these roles over to the EAP frees the supervisor from the burden of being an amateur diagnostician, motivational counselor, and caseworker. But this freedom is not always as welcome as it sounds. Some supervisors may feel competent in handling these roles; they may believe in their history of doing so and experience satisfaction and meaning by involving themselves in their employees’ lives. Unfortunately, this approach carries significant risk for all parties concerned.

Q.   Can you provide a checklist of points for meeting with an employee to confront them about performance, motivate them to correct it, and encourage them to use the EAP?

A.   Talk with the EAP or recall the process of recommended steps for your organization, but the following should be helpful: 1) focus on job performance; 2) be specific; 3) ask the employee if he/she understands the situation clearly; 4) ask the employee to paraphrase what the supervisor has said; 5) ask the employee for a commitment to change; 6) set a specific time for follow-up and review; 7) explain that the employee must decide whether he/she should seek help for any personal issue that may be contributing to the performance issue; 8) explain clearly the EAP and how it works, and discuss confidentiality; 9) fully assure the worker that use of the EAP does not affect job security or promotional opportunities, and is not punitive in any way.

^{Information contained in “The Frontline Supervisor” is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be specific guidance for any particular supervisor or human resource management concern. For specific guidance on handling individual employee problems, consult with your Employee Assistance Professional.   ©2018 DFA Publishing & Consulting, LLC}

 

Q.  Regarding supervisor behavior, what does the phrase “silo mentality” mean? Can EAPs play a role in helping supervisors overcome this practice?

A.  The phrase “silo mentality” is more applicable to the dysfunctional practice of departments within organizations isolating themselves by being concerned only with their unique purpose. Withholding information, competitiveness, communication breakdowns, and, when severe enough, nearly isolated work environments with charismatic leaders can result. Supervisors can unwittingly practice a similar behavior by isolating themselves, withholding information, failing to engage with workers, and focusing more on charts and metrics than developing their people. Avoiding this practice requires skills of engagement, collaboration, sharing information, coaching, and modeling. New supervisors are especially at risk for isolation behavior if they give in to their insecurities. Some may deny their role and hope the work unit can function without their direction by deferring to one or two strong subordinates. It may feel safer, but it is a recipe for disaster. The employee assistance program is an ideal source of help. Beyond coaching, which is more appropriately obtained from a next level manager, the EAP can confidentially assess personal issues and help the supervisor identify and overcome roadblocks to full engagement.

Q.   I have always understood humor in the workplace to be a good thing. Recently I heard that this is not necessarily true. Can you explain this with respect to supervisors who do a lot of kidding around?

A.   There is a difference between employees expressing humor within a psychologically safe workplace and the supervisor over-employing humor as a way to interacting and managing employees. This can heighten employee vulnerability, while at the same time making supervisors less approachable. Ironically, some humor may contribute to an intimidating and offensive work environment. Overused, humor can also send a message that there is nothing very serious about what we do here—that mistakes and problems are not to be taken seriously. This results in the loss of a healthy sense of urgency and leads to diminished performance by employees. This dynamic can prompt employees to focus on personal matters rather than workplace productivity; indeed, research has shown this to be the case. However, humor is a natural human behavior. It is not something that has to be deliberately learned or practiced. Naturally occurring, it can be an indicator of a positive work climate where employees are able to be happy, healthy, and productive. Learn more at https://wustl.edu (search “humor in the workplace”).q

Q.   I have been offered a manager position in my company, but I don’t know if I have the leadership skills to do it. I don’t mind a challenge, but isn’t leadership a natural aptitude sort of thing? Can the EAP help with my decision?

A.  It is a myth that leadership can’t be learned. Here are a few rewarding challenges to master—all teachable: thinking and acting in ways that encourage others so they trust and follow you; creating a vision or a direction in which you want to lead a team; having a personal vision for yourself within this context; considering crises that can happen and how to respond to them; being optimistic (optimistic authority figures inspire others); resolving conflicts; taking charge before being told what to do; pulling others into the action; striving for excellence, not perfection; maintaining high standards and giving others credit where it is due; praising employees frequently to inspire them to produce; taking risks out of your comfort zone; being truthful with yourself; knowing your strengths and weaknesses, and depending on others with skills you lack to achieve work-unit goals; building your brand as a leading expert in one or two areas; being a credible resource others trust; being a role-model for compassion, commitment, effort, integrity, teamwork, good communication, and vision; and getting to work on time! Feeling insecure about any of these? Talk to the EAP and troubleshoot hurdles throughout your career.

Q.  I am referring an employee to the EAP, but I don’t have much hope things will change. He lies, manipulates, and tells people what he thinks they want to hear. The EAP is likely to be putty in his hands. Isn’t this a big problem for EAPs—dishonest employees? 

A.   Sometimes employees do visit EAPs and lie. They attempt to manipulate the EAP and control the direction of the interview, and behave as though they are insightful and fully cooperative, but they are not. This is always short-lived because, ultimately, there is a bottom line—job security. This leverage is a vital element in EAP theory and practice. It is precious to motivation, cooperation, and the pursuit of wellness with troubled employees. Some of these employees may have extraordinary skills and training. Employment leverage saves lives. The employer is in control if performance improvement is not forthcoming. Most employees understand this reality before coming to the EAP. Very few will not grasp this reality and not feel a true sense of urgency until they are teetering on termination. This dynamic is why EAPs work. The EAP is always a problem-solving success story for the organization. The employee, however, has to decide whether it will be a success story for him or her. The greater the clarity given to a formally referred employee about expectations and consequences, the more cooperative they tend to be.

^{Information contained in “The Frontline Supervisor” is for general information purposes only and is not intended to be specific guidance for any particular supervisor or human resource management concern. For specific guidance on handling individual employee problems, consult with your Employee Assistance Professional.   ©2018 DFA Publishing & Consulting, LLC.}