Tips for supervising a depressed employee

Tips for supervising a depressed employee

When an employee becomes noticeably less productive or reliable for an extended time, the change might be caused by clinical depression, a treatable illness. A knowledgeable supervisor can play a role in helping a depressed employee get on the road to recovery.

Untreated depression can affect judgment, cooperation, concentration and decision-making. In addition, depressed people often abuse alcohol and other drugs, creating other problems. The good news is that treatment is effective in 80 percent of cases, and getting treatment early improves outcome.

A supervisor cannot diagnose depression, but can help in other ways:

When an employee begins to have frequent absences or tardiness, or becomes unusually forgetful, error-prone, or unproductive, discuss these changes with him or her.

Recommend a professional consultation to evaluate the difficulties and assure the employee that you will maintain the confidentiality of your discussion.

If depression is diagnosed, talk to your human resource specialist about accommodating the employee’s scheduling needs during treatment and recovery.

Employee mental health is an important part of a healthy workplace.

To learn more about depression, write: Depression, Dept. W, Rockville, MD 20857; or call (800) 421-4211.