This is an ongoing content series on the current EAN website. We have set it up again here so you can continue to use it (if you like.)
Q. News reports have frequently mentioned “The Great Resignation” over the past year, referring to how many employees quit their jobs and why. What can supervisors or managers do to help curb the loss of good workers?
A. Research studies showed that when the crisis subsided enough for employees to return to work, millions had moved on. What followed was a worker shortage that allowed employees to compete for greater benefits, including attractive remote jobs. A desire to not return to the original job also played a role in adding to a labor shortage. Suddenly, “employers needed employees more than employees needed employers.” One study concludes that factors that can exacerbate the loss of workers are a “toxic” company culture, low salary, poor management, lack of healthy work-life boundaries, and not allowing remote work. Are you able to influence change with any of these issues? Some are not related to pay but soft skills and relationship management. It is here that the EAP has expertise. Read below what the Gallup research organization discovered about the supervisor’s role. Strive for a positive and engaging relationship with workers. Most will think twice before giving it up, even for additional pay in another job. Source:www.gallup.com/workplace/358346/gallup-workplace-insights-learned-2021.aspx.
Q. Periodically, my employee has crying bouts but says it’s a way to manage stress. Should supervisors be more aware of depression’s symptoms, not so they can diagnose someone, but so they do not dismiss serious behaviors just because they do not cause performance issues?
A. To be completely unaware of the signs and symptoms of depression or any health problem that could lead to behavioral signs and symptoms in the workplace would not be a good thing, so it is appropriate to help supervisors be generally aware of observable signs or symptoms common among troubled employees with health or mental health conditions. This could lead to more supervisor-prompted self-referrals influenced by concern for the employee. This is a key reason for educating supervisors about the signs and symptoms of substance abuse. No matter what the health concern underlying the performance issues, the overriding principle that should be kept in mind is that focusing on the performance issues of quality of work, conduct, and attendance is more likely to lead to referrals of employees to the EAP, where treatable health and mental health problems can be identified. The recovery from these problems is what will lead to improved performance, reduced turnover, and a healthier workforce. Check out the signs and symptoms of work depression at https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/work-depression.
Q. I interviewed an employee for one of our new positions, but he looks like he might be an alcoholic or have a history of alcoholism. I know the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)applies in this situation, but is the EAP the right resource concerning understanding its provisions and restrictions?
A. Your human resources advisor is your go-to professional for concerns about interviewing, the hiring process, and laws like the ADA and how they may apply in certain situations. The ADA treats actively drinking employees with substance use disorders and those who have been treated for addictive diseases differently. Decisions you make based upon your perception of their recovery or non-recovery status can also have legal implications. Sometimes, managers are educated and trained to understand employment laws, but if you are not applying them or recalling them regularly, it is easy to get confused. So, even if in doubt, reach out to human resources. Later, after someone has been hired, should you become concerned about behaviors, signs, and symptoms, or wonder how you should document performance, your EAP is available.
Q. There is debate about which employees are more stressed, those on-site or those who work remotely. What does the research say?
A. The Gallup organization examined employee stress during the pandemic. They discovered that remote workers generally experience more stress than on-site workers. Although there are clear benefits to working from home, like avoiding the need to commute, remote workers often manage their personal lives and domestic issues in tandem with expectations by employers to deliver high levels of work performance, both in quality and quantity. The research found that remote workers may be more engaged, meaning they appear to demonstrate more enthusiasm, eagerness to perform, and desire to do a good job. This increased engagement may help others support their position and see its positive benefits. Supervisors should be watchful for signs of stress in remote workers who may tend to minimize or mask them, thereby risking burnout.
Q. What is the #1 way to motivate an employee?
A. Thousands of resources have been authored on motivating employees, but the one thing that appears to dominate most lists is “personally thanking employees for good performance.” Sound simple? It is for some, but not all. A critical part of the strategy is communicating gratitude with sincerity. Humans easily detect non-sincerity, so one must get this part right. Start by examining your own personal reaction to something the employee has done well. Feel the gratitude. Appreciate its impact. Visualize the benefits. Then use this energy and awareness to communicate appreciation. Praise put in writing will “10X” your positive impact on the employee. Some managers offer praise naturally. It’s a critical soft skill for supervisors to know, but it will feel awkward without sincerity accompanying it. Can the EAP help you be a more genuine and authentic praise giver? Yes.
Q. Should it be part of a supervisor’s responsibilities to help employees pursue work-life balance? This is something that extends beyond the workplace and is personal for employees.
A. Technology can turn a job into a 24/7 experience, so a lack of work-life balance can be a challenge. This strain contributes to lower productivity and burnout. It’s up to employees to “hit the off switch,” but some are better at doing it than others. This makes awareness and education about work-life balance a worthy pursuit. Practice establishing traditions that facilitate work-life balance. One tradition might be having everyone agree to not respond to emails and work-related texts after business hours, except in specific circumstances. (This could influence employees to get more done during regular business hours.) Brainstorm other work-life balance ideas. Celebrate and reward participation in these practices. A Web search of “ways to achieve work-life balance” will lead you to many ideas. Consider input from your human resources advisor, too. Suggest the EAP to employees who demonstrate struggles with work-life balance. Note that motivating employees to practice work-life balance won’t be effective unless you are doing it yourself.
Q. I have known supervisors who were great listeners and advice givers. But what if the supervisor actually has professional counseling experience? Does this create an exception to the rule of avoiding delving into an employee’s problems and taking on the counseling role?
A. Employees who raise concerns about personal problems with supervisors often have more than one reason for doing so. One, of course, may be a sincere desire to find a solution. But consider the high likelihood that similar discussions have taken place many times before with others outside the workplace, particularly with family and friends. It follows that an employee’s desire to focus on solving a personal problem is in part motivated by a need to shift attention away from any performance issue and its consequences. A discussion about the nature of a personal problem and its resolution would certainly be more satisfying. Even if the supervisor has the skills to help the employee, engaging in the problem-solving process ultimately requires follow-up, motivational counseling, relapse prevention, and detection by the counselor as to whether treatment is being accomplished, or whether it is being resisted or applied in only half measures, both of which interfere with solving the problem and lead to the potential loss of a valuable worker.
Q. If my employee is experiencing frequent absences from work and I make a supervisor referral to the EAP, is it to let the EAP know the employee is being referred and the reason? What other information would be helpful for the EAP to know?
A. EAPs have extensive experience helping employees with problems, many of which are associated with different absenteeism patterns. The more information you provide about the history of the employee’s attendance issue and your attempts to resolve it, the more effective the EAP interview will be. This means a faster resolution to the problem. Problematic employee absenteeism may be ongoing and consistent, cyclical, or sudden and unexpected. Each includes different degrees and forms of communication (or lack of it) with the employer concerning the absences. This history gives the EAP clues about the nature of any personal problem that may be associated with the absences, even when an employee is not completely forthcoming in an interview. For example, an employee who suddenly does not show up for work and does not phone in, and whom you can’t reach, will have a personal problem far different than that of an employee who phoned you the night before with notice that they were taking unapproved leave without pay.
Q. At times, I don’t think employees truly understand the purpose of an EAP. Sure, they know it is a professional source of counseling and referral, but when supervisors refer, some employees become defensive. What’s missing, and how can supervisors make formal referrals go a little smoother?
A. When a supervisor suggests the EAP or makes a referral, it can be helpful to explain early on that the basis for your recommendation is job performance, not your belief that a personal problem exists, and that all EAPs work this way. This issue, perhaps more than any other, is what prompts defensiveness. Also, do not mention the EAP for the first time late in the process of an attempt to correct performance. If weeks and months of difficulty, arguing, or tension have existed, your employee may believe that your motivation for referring now is to “cover your bases” as you prepare for termination of the worker.
Q. I strive to know my employees well so I can assess their needs and develop their talents. When employees don’t perform well or keep commitments, or come to work late, I feel taken advantage of and angry. This causes me stress. How can I react differently?
A. Perhaps you have heard the expression, “Employees are our organization’s most valuable resource.” It offers a clue to help you understand how best to work with employees when they disappoint you. Wanting your employees to be happy and productive is a good thing, and the EAP plays a key role in helping you do this, but you will use the EAP less when you are emotional and feel personally hurt in response to employees not living up to your expectations. When you use the “employees are a resource” paradigm, you respond differently. You become more strategic, and this means a possible referral to the EAP sooner. Viewing your employees as ungrateful invites you to take their shortcomings personally, experience more stress, delay referral to the EAP, and be angry with them. You feel taken advantage of, and the risk is that you will experience a desire to retaliate, terminate, or “teach them a lesson.”
