Mental illnesses are defined as conditions that impact a person’s mood, thinking, feelings, and behavior.

These common mental health issues impact every area of life, from social and personal, to work and business.

And if you suspect someone at work may need help with a mental health issue, it can be difficult to know what to do. When this person is also your employee, it can be even harder.

If you suspect your employee is experiencing a problem with their mental health, it is important to act early and it could be time to intervene.

If you notice one or two of these symptoms, it is probably time to address what you are seeing confidentially and with empathy.

Mood swings, emotional rollercoasters, and erratic behavior
Taking or needing a lot of time off
A decrease in or lack of productivity
Withdrawal from social situations, especially with co-workers
Changes in eating or sleeping behaviors
An lack of care in appearance

KNOWING WHAT TO DO NEXT:

Remember first and foremost your employees may be scared to approach topics that they may be struggling in fear of judgement, in fear it may effect their job. Mental Health is also a very personal and sensitive topic to openly discuss.

But it is the hard conversations, it is so important to handle these situations with empathy, care and urgency if you are noticing these patterns in any employee.

Before approaching your employee, make sure you you gather advice or information from professionals. As a manager, it is important to have a plan in place for situations that occur like this and your human resources team should have a fully implemented plan in place already.

It is essential to speak as a manager to your company human resources department about their work-provided options and benefits that the company may already offer.

Though it can be hard to have these conversations, finding your employee the help they need is the most important thing you can do.