Advice for an employer trying to help an employee with a mental health condition.

[Barry_G]

Hi, I’m new on here. I’m an Office Manager trying to deal with a female staff member who is dealing with mental health issues that I would describe as Anxiety and which has now combined with Alcoholism.

I’ve been searching for information of how to handle this situation as an employer, which lead me here. It seems I’ve been doing the right thing in communicating with her, and being supportive and flexible with her treatment needs and her immediate work environment.

With increasing regularity, she has “bad” days, once even as far as attempted self harm but that was a year ago now. She is getting various professional support, but it is a painfully slow process. I wish her professionals could talk to me as I want to help.

Despite a lot of reading trying to find the best way to support her on her “bad’ days, I’m still not sure what to do if her day deteriorates whilst at work – say she relapses and has a bottle of wine at lunchtime and literally can’t function for the afternoon.

I feel that I have a duty of care towards her and can’t send her home without an escort. Unfortunately I don’t have the resources to do that, and she doesn’t have anyone who can collect her from work. I don’t feel the situation would result in harm to herself or others when I would certainly call her doctor, a mental health crisis service or dial 000 and say that her life is at risk.

So, I keep her here at work which in a relatively small office is awkward at best. The boss has told me not to pay her for time off without a medical certificate being provided which in effect forces her to come to work even when she's not in the right state of mind.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

[White_Rose]

Dear Barry

Welcome to the forum and well done for supporting your staff member. It can be tricky balancing work needs and being unwell and I imagine there will be/have been days when this employee will not be able to even get out of bed.

I am pleased you can recognise a duty of care towards your employee but you also have a duty to your employer and I imagine this is your main dilemma. I worked in the public service in HR until I retired. One of my roles was managing rehabilitation for staff members long standing illnesses that required care for some time. What can you do? I am presuming you are not a public service entity and do not have their systems in place.

My first step would be to chat with your employee which I realise you have already done. Asking about her support circle is OK but she may not want to tell you, possibly because she does not have any/much support or because she is ashamed of being unwell. This is a common feeling for many of us with mental health issues. There is legislation about rehabilitation but I think it has changed since I did that job and I don't want to give you incorrect information. Perhaps you can find the current act.

When you talk to her perhaps you could ask what she wants in the way of support from you. It's always nice to feel part of your own recovery and not simply doing what others tell you. Ask her if you can speak to her doctor. This was one of the steps I took to get reliable information. Not that employees necessarily lie or distort the information. This may happen but it is more related to the person's ill health. If she agrees you need to get this in writing and send a copy to the doctor otherwise he/she will not speak to you for obvious reasons. You can also ask the employee to let the doctor know of her permission which again smooths the path.

When I was very unwell my psychiatrist wanted me have sick leave but I was scared to spend so much time on my own. I live alone. So he gave me a letter saying I could only work four hours day which my manager accepted, though not pleased, and we discussed my workload. I also gave the psych my position description to see what tasks he felt were a risk for me.

All this is often a slow process but it is generally secure and both you and your employee are protected. Always document these conversations as having a mental illness can affect memory and the perception of what has been said. I've run out of space. Let me know how you go.

Mary

[Barry_G]

Thanks White Rose, just hearing your point of view helps. Yes, we are only a small private firm. The employee has been with us for 16 years since she was 17, so I think we owe her all the help we can provide. I will look up the Rehabilitation Act. Since she had a complete breakdown on Monday afternoon and I sat with her for 2 hours, our relationship has improved as has the trust between us. She also saw her new Drug and Alcohol Councillor yesterday so things are happening. Working shorter hours is certainly an option - we'll discuss if that would help but losing money and her boyfriend being a work will be considerations. She'll really good today. Thanks again.

[White_Rose]

Hello Barry

Thanks for your reply. I feel like you we need employers who are prepared to help an employee trying to manage a mental health problem.

I just had a quick look at the Qld act and realised what a huge document it is. I had forgotten how comprehensive it is. It's certainly different to the one I knew. Much of it will refer to workplace injuries but we always helped someone with injuries caused elsewhere, which is the case of your employee. So pleased she is getting some therapy.

Ask about contacting her doctor and/or therapist. It may be helpful.

There is training available for people to be a workplace Rehabilitation and Return to Work Co-ordinator but if yours is a small company it may not be necessary. There was a requirement for companies who had a certain number of employees to have a trained rehab co-ordinator but I could not find it. Mind you it was a very quick look.

Please feel free to post as often as you wish. I am usually here at least part of the day.

Mary