The mental health of employees can affect your organization in multiple ways. In fact, mental health issues themselves can have such wildly diverse symptoms that they can be hard to identify. But an employee who becomes highly depressed or anxious can be both less productive in output and challenged as a member of a team, which can make them more difficult to manage and less of an asset.
How can you check in on mental health issues in a subtle way? Here are some tips.
Look for Sudden Changes in Behavior
Because mental illness or stress can manifest in many different ways, it’s not realistic to think you can identify it with pinpoint accuracy, let alone give a diagnosis.
But one method mental health professionals themselves look for is abrupt changes in behavior. Has a person been gregarious and cheerful, and is suddenly withdrawn and morose? Have they been industrious and on-time every day, and are suddenly dragging into the office late and shirking duties? Do you see sudden weight gain or sudden loss of weight?
These are not infallible signs, of course, but all these sudden changes and more could be indications that the person is experiencing challenges.
Know Your Employees
While you don’t have to know every employee well, you need to have sufficient knowledge of their lives and personalities that you are aware of if they are going through difficult times emotionally.
The death of a family member, a divorce, or even financial problems can cause stress and upheaval – which in turn can lead to anxiety, depression, and self-medication with alcohol, food, or other substances.
Train Your Leadership Team
No, you don’t have to turn your company leadership into mental health professionals! But you can train them to recognize how energy levels, communication styles, and other elements affected by mental health can work with the team dynamic. Training can help your managers strategize assignments and approaches to optimize the contribution of their employees.
One such method is personality scans from PDP. They assess employee’s Traits, Interests, Communication Styles, and Key Action Tips. Team members gain new insights and new knowledge.
Barracuda Consulting Has Expertise in Training Leadership
If you’re interested in utilizing PDP personality scans to gain insight into your employees and the team dynamics, Barracuda Consulting is happy to partner with you. We administer and assess advanced personality scans and provide training in maximizing their use. Contact us today for more information.