Stress: Beware of the vicious cycle
By Ann-Maree Moodie, | smh.com.au | 13 February
Anxiety about job security can lead to poor performance
If a team member suddenly starts working longer hours but you haven't increased his workload, what do you do?
If your normally placid PA starts snapping and sniping, do you let it go? What if a subordinate loses weight at a dramatic speed?
Increased hours, irritability and sudden weight loss or gain are some symptoms of a person experiencing stress. It's critical for a manager to take immediate and decisive action in such situations but never more so in these challenging economic times.
The unemployment rate, currently at 4.5 per cent, is at its higthehest level in two years. By mid-2010, it's expected 7 per cent of Australian workers will be without a job. Economists are forecasting zero growth in 2009 and a recession as being inevitable. No one seems to know when things will get better.
Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the global financial crisis is likely to cause a rise in mental illness and health problems as more people use alcohol, tobacco and drugs as a form of escape.
"This has happened in the past," says the UN agency's Director-General, Margaret Chan.
Being a manager in 2009 won't be easy. Everyone is under pressure to perform and is anxious about their jobs. Hearing that another big employer is retrenching staff - BHP Billiton, CSR, David Jones and Harvey Norman are a few recent examples - only heightens anxiety.
Managers are being squeezed and those in fractured professions like financial services, investment banking, law and the automotive and luxury goods industries will find it hardest compared with colleagues in workplaces where revenues are more stable.
The national workplace program manager for national depression initiative beyondblue, Therese Fitzpatrick, says people may start to feel their job is at risk in these times of uncertainty.
"[They] will be worried about their lifestyle and their ability to meet their financial commitments if they're retrenched. And when people don't feel stable, they can develop symptoms of stress and even distress."
People suffering from anxiety usually perform below their normal standards. This becomes a vicious cycle if their poor performance becomes an issue with their boss and is perceived as a reason for potentially losing their job.
Anxiety is heightened and activities like eating too much or too little, or abusing alcohol or drugs become temptations for escapism. The employee may be unable to concentrate, be irritable and start calling in sick.
Research shows that an employee who is depressed is likely to take three to four days off a month. With one million workers suffering depression, anxiety or related substance abuse disorders, it's estimated more than six million working days are lost each year.
"Untreated depression can also result in a significant reduction in work performance and accounts for more than 12 million days of reduced productivity each year, with serious implications for work safety," according to beyondblue. "It is estimated that on average each employee with untreated depression will cost their organisation $9660 per year."
Depression and related disorders are not managed well in the workplace, claims beyondblue. Solutions such as recommending time off work or a holiday may compound the problem and make the situation even worse.
Instead, it's better to tackle the problem early and offer professional help. The HR department will advise you on the company's employee assistance programs. Often encouraging the employee to see their GP will be the most important piece of advice they'll receive and could mean their recovery will be faster.
"It's important that a manager deals with an issue of mental illness in the same way as they'd deal with an employee's physical illness," Fitzpatrick says.
"If they found out an employee had diabetes, how would they react? A good manager would ask the employee how they could help and if there was anything they could do to make their day easier.
"However, in the case of a team member you suspect is suffering from anxiety or depression, it's important not to take on the burden. The manager isn't a doctor or a psychologist and it's not their place to diagnose the problem. But it is important to have the conversation and to do it confidentially."
Remember, suggesting an employee spend money in order to seek the help they need may cause even more anxiety.
According to the WHO, an increasing number of people who are stressed about the current economic crisis will see medical care as a discretionary item of expenditure. "Economic instability increases the risk that people will neglect health care, with prevention falling by the wayside," Chan says.
Deal with pressure
Managers can expect to be dealing with stressed, anxious and depressed workers more regularly this year.
Here are some steps to follow:
- Act early. Act decisively.
- Don't ask the employee if they're OK. If they don't want to talk, they'll just say yes. Instead, ask an open question like: "I've noticed a change in your attitude/work habits/productivity and I'd like to know what I can do to help."
- Organise to talk to the employee outside of work. Go for a coffee or a walk in the park. Ensure confidentiality and keep your promise.
- Don't judge. Offer help.
- Investigate your company's HR policy on how to deal with this issue. Talk to your employee assistance program provider.
Ann-Maree Moodie, Ann-Maree Moodie is a management educator and the Managing Director of The Boardroom Consulting Group.
First published by Smh.com.au on February 13 2009
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