We cannot deny the fact that there are times our employees become less productive than they used to be, or may show signs of stress especially when they are dealing with several issues at the same time.

It’s not really just work that is contributing to them being stressed but also sometimes, emotions. They might at times manifest meltdowns at work. As an employer, you might suggest these employees to take advantage of a vacation leave entitled or help them with an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselor to assess, understand and provide solutions to their current situation.

Here are some useful tips for employers to provide assistance to their employees when they need it the most:

1. Observe your employees’ behaviour. Before referring them to the EAP, you as their immediate supervisor must conduct pre- assessment steps such that you will know what to communicate to your EAP counselor. You can do this by starting off through observing an employee’s behaviour or tracking down recent behavior patterns or displayed habits at work.

This may or may not be directly affecting your statistics in the office, but it can be quite evident in the months to come. These could lead to behaviours such as frequent absenteeism from work, confusion, low job performance and efficiency, self isolation or depression. When you see these signs, gather your thoughts and think critically.

2. Gather your thoughts and think thoroughly. Organize your thoughts. You are aiming to give an objective feedback to your employee so you have to identify things that are tangible enough. You should never judge your employee for a certain act or behaviour. Just gather your thoughts, think critically, look at all the angles of the story and maintain your composure.

See: 16 Employee Perks Your Team Wants More Than a Pay Raise

3. Approach. After thinking hard about the situation, it is now time for you to approach your employee and talk about your recent observations of him. Take advantage of the coaching sessions your company provides to ask the employee – what is wrong and what are the possible ways to handle his situation with prompt concern and care. You are not only asking to understand the root cause of the issue but you are also keen on helping the employee get up on his feet and move on.

4. Refer. If after approaching your employee, and seeking whereabouts, you still see no evident changes then, it is the perfect time to refer him to the EAP of your company. By doing so, you are offering him the benefit of doubt to the current situation at hand and also pushing him to talk to a professional counselor. There are times when all methods fail to help the employee, maybe external sources of help and assurance is the last resort. However, be rest assured, you have done all you could within your reach and limits.

5. Follow through. After following the steps and eventually referring your troubled worker to a professional, don’t forget to follow through with their progress and status update. If you have referred an employee to the EAP, but you failed to follow through to seek clarification on what to expect from your employee, the normal human tendency is to deduce your care and concern.

They might assume that you are not really serious about employee welfare. Showing them support and manifesting them through actions, such as to make employees believe that they can depend on you through hard times of life, can only be sought by providing clarity of expectations.

Also read: Pay Hike, Benefits or Reward Programs? What Do Employees Value the Most?

Image credit: upliftconnect.com