When an Employee's Crisis Becomes HR's Problem

Workforce, Jan, 2001 by Chelle E. Cohen

Sometimes the line between the business world and the personal one blurs. An employee's unresolved problems can affect productivity and workplace morale. Here's what HR can do about it.

What impact does an employee's divorce, household fire, or serious illness have on your company? That depends on how you, and others in your organization, handle it. An employee's unresolved personal problems can walk with him into work on a daily basis. It's important that you, as the HR manager, are able to help that emotionally rattled person get connected with the resources he needs to solve his problems.

While it would be nice if we could draw a boundary between home and work, there seems to be an increasing trend for the office and home front to merge. Companies now, more than ever before, are offering EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs) that draw and hold both new and established employees. In fact, the ability to balance work and family life is the single most important job aspect, with 97 percent of workers indicating that it is "important," and 88 percent saying that it is "extremely important," according to a recent Rutgers University national poll of 1,000 workers.

HR has a key role in communicating with the employee in crisis, directing her toward an EAP that will help smooth her problems, and guiding her efforts to return to work as a productive team member as soon as possible.

Identifying the Problem

Before you can deal with a problem, you have to know that it exists. Sometimes an employee's personal issues are brought to HR by a supervisor. Other times, the employee herself will come to your office and reveal her problems openly. In either case, in your HR role, you want to communicate to the employee that the company cares about her situation and would like to help.

"When an employee is first dealing with a crisis, we have no hope of their being effective on the job," says Don McIver, vice president of human resources for MWW Group, a public relations firm in East Rutherford, New Jersey. "My position has always been to support, to empathize with their situation, and to work collaboratively on getting them through it," While the employee describes the problem to you, be sure to listen carefully. He will likely be upset, and may not be thinking clearly. It helps to reassure him that he doesn't have to worry about his job, and that you'll do whatever you can to help.

It's important to find out what employees need from the HR department, and from the company. "Don't make assumptions about what they want or need," warns Ellen Bravo, director of 9-to-5, National Association of Working Women, based in Milwaukee. "For some people, coming into work every day is exactly what they need to keep them sane." So listen carefully and ask targeted questions, such as "What can we do to make this hard time easier for you to do deal with?"

Offering Assistance

During that first crisis conference with the employee, give him copies of brochures that describe the EAPs that are available, as well as any provisions of the FMLA (Family Medical and Leave Act). Highlight the particular programs you are familiar with that might help him in his own situation. While most HR departments make a point of distributing EAP information during an employee's initial orientation and provide regular updates, it's a good idea to supply an extra copy during a crisis. Many people pay little attention to the brochures until they need them. Your ability and willingness to direct them to resources immediately may motivate them to seek help sooner.

Try to be sensitive to the employee's desire for confidentiality. Reassure him that you'll maintain whatever degree of privacy he wants. Should supervisors and coworkers, particularly those on his team, be told about it? Try to honor his wishes whenever possible.

DeAnne Rosenberg, management consultant and author of A Manager's Guide to Hiring the Best Person for Every Job, suggests that if the employee wants strict confidentiality, then it's best to go to her supervisor and explain that you have learned of a personal situation involving that employee, and that you'd like for her to have some flexibility. If the supervisor asks, "Well, what's the trouble?" you can say, "It's personal, and it wouldn't be right for me to divulge the information. But trust me, it's temporary. She'll soon be back to 100 percent if we give her space to work things out."

If the situation is more open, such as a death in the family, a fire, or a natural disaster, then it may help to provide grief counseling, not only for the person in pain but for coworkers as well. Don McIver tells of a situation a few years ago at a previous job, when an employee's eight-year-old child was killed in an accident. "Everyone was upset," he recalls. The company provided information about the memorial service, as well as contributions to the charity of choice. They offered counseling to the child's mother as well as on-site grief counseling to the coworkers who were emotionally affected.