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Don’t be too quick to assume that you have a difficult, lazy, or sub-par employee. In many instances, it could be that your employee is struggling with their mental health and needs your support. By responding to that team member with empathy and compassion, you can not only address the issue and support them in improving their performance, but also show that you care, which will improve your relationship and their well-being and greatly benefit your company. 

How to know if an employee is experiencing mental health challenges?

The framework to keep in mind as you look for signs of mental health concerns is behavior that fits one or more of The 3 OutsTM. 

The 3 OUTS are: 

• OUT of character
• OUT of nowhere
• OUT of the group

Let’s take a look at each of The 3 OUTS. 

OUT of character means that an employee’s behavior is inconsistent over a period of time with someone's personality, disposition, or how they typically behave. 

OUT of nowhere means an employee is displaying unhealthy behavior that appears or happens suddenly and unexpectedly. 

OUT of the group means an employee is showing increased social withdrawal or isolation, both at work and outside of work.

Some examples of these behaviors are:

• Missing Work 

A pattern of being late to meetings or calling in to take off from work more frequently, especially when this is out of character for that person, could be indicative of a mental health concern. 

• Not Completing Work Tasks

When a person who is generally on time with deadlines suddenly stops being able to meet them, this is a sign that they are overwhelmed or stressed. They also could be confused or unable to solve a basic problem that they should be able to as part of their job. 

• Changes in Physical Appearance 

If an employee appears unkempt, unhealthy, abnormal, not to your organization’s standards, or their hygiene appears to be less than appropriate for work, this could be a sign that one of The 3 OUTS (OUT of Character or OUT of Nowhere) is at play. 

• Changes in Temperament 

Changes in temperament occur when an employee stops being easy to get along with when they never were hard to get along with before. They display behavior that seems strange and turns unusual very quickly. This can also include mood swings, temper tantrums, sudden pessimism, and erratic behavior.

• Withdrawal or Avoidance 

An employee withdraws from social situations or isolates themselves at work suddenly. They might also stop participating in activities they used to enjoy.

• Excessive Worry

An employee is constantly expressing fear, worry, anxiety, or paranoia that appears out of character or excessive. 

• Substance Misuse

This includes recreational drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, or other vices. Substance misuse can be quickly identified through:

• Changes in a person's weight (sudden)
• Changes in their eyes (pupils that are smaller or larger than usual and/or bloodshot eyes)
• Changes in their physical coordination, mobility reaction times, or sudden tremors
• Changes in their speech or slurred speech
• Changes in the appearance of their nose or a constantly runny nose

How to identify hidden mental health challenges

While The 3 OUTS can help you identify many issues, what do you do about people who mask their mental health challenges? 

We live in this world where you scroll through Instagram and everyone seems to have a better life than you. Some people appear so put-together in every area of their life. So we sometimes think certain people are doing fine when they're not in reality. 

Many people who are struggling are very good at hiding that fact, and may even be your most prized employees. You just can't tell. So it’s recommended to approach everyone as if they aren’t okay no matter who they are or how they seem to you. Ask the question, “Are you okay?” 

Sometimes you're not going to get an answer—they may give the perfunctory “I’m fine,” but pay attention to their answer and how they answer, because whether they're telling you the truth or not, if you're being perceptive, you can pick up a lot about what's going on behind the scenes.

To learn more about how to recognize when an employee is struggling, enroll in the online course Connectivity & Conversations.