Coming back to work after leaving for depression

Depression is one of the biggest obstacles in an office environment. Individuals that lose their motivation often find that depression creeps in slowly. However depression can come on at any time, especially if you have an increased risk for it due to a death in the family, financial worry, family problems, a chemical imbalance, etc. There are many employees that will need to take a leave of absence to find help for their depression problems. Once the employee has gone through a recovery process and they are ready to come back to work, the implementation back into the working environment can be very challenging and difficult to cope with.

Most employees that return to work after a leave of absence for depression will feel some anxiety and stress. It is common for other people to judge harshly against mental illness because they simply do not understand it. Prepare the other employees ahead of time before the employee is set to come back to work so that this person doesn't feel overwhelmed with many questions and random encountering with their coworkers. They want to be acknowledged and treated "normal" so it's best to ask them the basic question of "how do you feel?" as this can easily frustrate them. Co-workers need to understand depression and just how severe mental illness really is so they can be welcoming and can also make the employee feel comfortable. Sometimes an employee that feels out of place might end up slipping back into a depression episode.

When the employee is brought back into the office you need to welcome them and to be sure they feel ready to start taking on projects. Encourage your other employees to come and socialize with them instead of avoiding them. Avoidance is actually one of the worst things you can do because it can cause a depressed individual to feel left out and this can again lead to another depression episode.

Keep an eye on the employee to see how they are doing. Stop by their office to talk about their workload and to look for any signs of distress. There are some signs that the employee may be distressed and falling back into another episode, here are some to look for:

• Tired or looking fatigued


• No interest in working


• Withdrawing from their co-workers


• Poor performance skills


• Failure to meet deadlines


• Poor communication


• Excess alcohol abuse

Employers have a responsibility to their employees and their ability to care for all their needs mental, physical, and emotional can be done with the right type of education and the right tools to help. You need to make sure you are helping the employee from the beginning, not just from the time when they take a leave of absence. If you keep tabs on them in the hospital and throughout their recovery time, it shows the employee that you genially care for them and you are hopeful for their recovery. This will help the employee to know that they are loved and that they can come and talk to you if they do feel stressed or worried about their return to work after a leave of absence.

Don't just pile on tons of work when the employee returns. Sit down with them and find out what they want to start with and how much they want to take on. As they get more comfortable and they are starting to manage their depression better, ask them to come back in and talk to you about increasing their workload. It may take a few days or even weeks but as long as the entire staff works hard to make them feel included and they are able to build connections again, it will be easy for them to feel a part of the company again.