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Are you confident you could spot when an employee needs immediate help? It can be difficult to know when an employee is in need of mental wellness help. However, knowing what to look for can be the difference between you recognizing and addressing a call for help and missing an opportunity to help an employee. 

Signs that an employee needs immediate help include: 

• Substance misuse
• Mentioning harming themselves or others
• Concerning talk:
  • “Nothing matters anymore.”
  • “Everyone will be better off without me.”
  • “Why am I still here?” 
• Risk-taking or out-of-control behavior
• Aggressive or violent behavior
• Giving away valued personal possessions
  • Even if their mood seems to be positive, this may be their way of saying goodbye. 

If you notice any of the above warning signs, this should be seen as an emergency. 

What to do if there is a direct threat

If someone mentions harming themselves or others, this is a direct threat to safety. If someone is engaging in violent behavior or is being aggressive to the point where another employee feels unsafe, this is a direct threat to safety.

A direct threat to someone’s safety should be followed by seeking help immediately. Let’s repeat that, if someone’s behavior is a direct threat to their own safety (or anyone else's), this should be treated as an EMERGENCY. Treating this as an emergency and seeking help immediately means reaching out to their emergency contact and/or the police. 

In a situation like this, it's absolutely critical to secure objective evidence and documentation that the person's behavior represents a safety risk so the problem is addressed and not swept under the rug. 

When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, they might not be able to think rationally, which is why it's so important to know the signs and symptoms. You have an opportunity to recognize and address a crisis that your employee does not fully understand at that moment. 

Identifying Mental Health Challenges in Remote Workers

Work has evolved over the years. Not every team meets in person each day, which complicates recognizing signs of a mental wellness challenge. If all or part of your team works remotely, there are still ways to recognize that an employee may need help. 

You can spot signs and symptoms of mental health challenges in remote workers by looking out for the following: 

Changes in How They Communicate

One sign an employee may be struggling is if it’s harder to get in touch with a particular employee, or they ’re inconsistent in responding. Their tone of voice is also important to notice. If someone who is usually a lively and animated speaker is now monotonous and flat, there’s probably something going on.

Changes in Participation and Performance

Just as with in-person employees, remote workers who stop contributing, start missing deadlines, or start making uncharacteristic mistakes might be experiencing a mental health challenge. 

Working Long Hours

If you’re getting emails from an employee at all hours of the night, it could be a sign that they ’re overworking to avoid dealing with feelings or that the lines between home and work have become so blurred that they ’re at risk of burnout. In a recent survey, the biggest struggle reported by remote workers was not being able to unplug.

Changes in Appearance

When a person is experiencing depression, they might find it harder to put in the effort to shower and take care of their physical appearance. The employee might try to mask this by keeping their camera off during video meetings. 

Just because someone doesn’t turn their camera on doesn’t mean you should be concerned. Video calls can be especially fatiguing, so using audio-only calls sometimes can be a good mental health strategy. 

There are also other reasons someone might want to keep their camera off. They might be having a bad hair day, or maybe their kids are in the background making a mess. 

Not every call needs to be or should be a video call in most remote work environments. But you might be wondering, “If I can’t see my employees when they ’re working remotely, how do I know how they ’re doing?” This is why it’s necessary to be proactive about checking in regularly with your team. You can know what an employee is doing and how they are doing outside of team calls by regularly communicating with them separately from the rest of the team. 

What “regularly” means may vary depending on your workplace culture and even depending on the employee. For example, extroverts might enjoy weekly or even daily check-ins. Introverts, on the other hand, might find them to be overwhelming.

Even if you currently have status meetings with your entire team, create a plan for making time for one-on-one conversations, similar to how you would if you were walking around your physical workplace. Check-ins can include phone calls, video calls, and emails.

Now that we have covered how to recognize when an employee may be having a mental health crisis, let’s put your knowledge to the test. Remember to look for THE 3 OUTS: OUT of character, OUT of nowhere, and OUT of the group. 

Which employee do you think is experiencing a mental health challenge? John or Lisa?

John has always been a model employee. Since he came back from paternity leave last month, he has called in sick twice and appears tired often. He stopped coming to happy hour on Thursdays after work too, but his work hasn’t declined. 

Lisa has been the star pitcher on your company ’s softball team for years. Lately, she hasn’t been coming to practice and has talked about quitting the team. She has also stopped going with the team to lunch. She’s still getting her work done, but you’ve noticed she’s started making uncharacteristic mistakes.

Answer: In this case, Lisa is displaying some of THE 3 OUTS. She’s pulled herself OUT of the group, and she’s making mistakes OUT of nowhere. She needs your support. John, on the other hand, is likely dealing with challenges that come with being a new dad. It would still be a good idea to talk to him to see how you can support him.

Let’s try another one. Which employee do you think is experiencing a mental health challenge? Malik or Kelly?

In the five years Malik has been with the company, he has always been dependable, responsive, and a valuable contributor. Since the team started working remotely, you’ve noticed your calls and emails to him typically go unanswered, and you have to follow up multiple times before getting a response. In the last three weekly team calls, he didn’t turn his camera on and only spoke when you asked him direct questions.

Over the three years Kelly has been with the company, you’ve noticed that they can be challenging to work with. They are impatient with less experienced coworkers and they don't take feedback well. This morning, an employee complained to you that Kelly was rude to her.

Answer: You have two entirely different challenges with these employees. Malik used to be a great employee, but now that he’s working remotely, he’s no longer responsive and no longer contributing in meetings. He may be experiencing a mental health challenge and needs your support. Kelly, on the other hand, has always been challenging to work with, so their recent behavior probably does not indicate an immediate mental health crisis. It’s possible they have more long-term challenges, which makes showing empathy and compassion important when having conversations with them. However, this does not mean they are allowed to treat others with disrespect. 

 

You might be thinking, okay, now I know how to identify employees who need support, but then what do I do? To learn more about how to dive into strategies for navigating those awkward mental health conversations, take the online course for HR professionals and managers, Connectivity & Conversations.