The do's and don'ts of employee depression

Employees can easily become depressed about their jobs but other factors will play a role in this as well. Employee depression can lead to a lot of concerns as it can demoralize your entire staff and leave the company feeling frustrated as it seems as though no work is being done on time or in a correct manner. Depression can also lead many employees to take a lot of time off as they are in need of serious mental help in order to help them cope with their day to day life.

How can you tell if your employees are depressed and how can you help them? Usually it starts by noticing employees are missing deadlines and they are moving at a very slow pace. They often arrive to work late or call in sick and it might seem as though they have become very lazy. Many times this is a sign of employee burnout but it is also a serious indicator that your employees may be suffering from mental illness. Here are some do's and don'ts when it comes to mental illness and helping employees with depression:

1. Do make them work. You don't want to take away all of their work as this will demoralize them. Motivate them and help them become productive once again. You don't want to disconnect the employee from their job and by sending them home you are telling them that you don't need them and they are replaceable. Keep them at work and talk to them, make them feel welcome and show them that they are needed.
2. Don't react harshly. It is important to understand mental illness and what depression can do to a person. As an employer you need to take some mental illnesses courses and learn about this very serious disease so you can help your employees through it. Don't just storm into their office and yell at them or send them home because of their poor performance, talk to them and see what is going on. Offer them help by getting them into counseling and try to avoid criticizing them.
3. Do listen to your employees. Most individuals with depression will send out some warning signs and other things before they have a big attack. Keep your eyes and ear open and really get in tune with your employees. You may be the outlet they need to start confronting their problems with depression and they will be able to finally open up if you are willing to listen and be there for them. Just by being a good friend to them, you may end up saving their life. Always refer them to a specialist for "real" help but at least be there in every other sense of the way so they feel your support.

As an employer you should always have a person in the organization that can help with mental health issues and other things. This is usually your HR person but it could be you as well. This person needs to be trusted by everyone on staff so the employees can approach them with all types of issues, including mental illness. We all want to make the workplace comfortable for everyone but depressed workers need a different type of help. If you can afford to bring in counseling and therapy, do it. You will not regret this decision. You should at least offer a name and set up appointments with a therapist for your employees that are suffering from depression or even from burnout. Talking about their feelings with another person can help them work though many of the mental health concerns that they have.