Depression is a leading cause of disability around the world, and one in five Australians are affected by mental health issues, with depression being the most common mental illness worldwide. A recent report found that depression diagnoses are rising at a faster rate for millennials and teens than for any other generation. All told, the disorder is estimated to cost $44 billion a year in lost productivity in Australia alone.
Unfortunately, many employers don't know how to deal with depressed employees. Managers may only find out about mental health problems when they look into why a team member isn't doing well at work. But what if employees felt empowered to report a mental health problem and ask for reasonable accommodation? This would allow managers to intervene as quickly as possible, minimise damage to the organisation, and help employees return to full health.
Here are some tips for managers on how to negotiate work arrangements for individuals with depression.
Learn About Affective Disorders
It's important to get ready ahead of time and learn about depression and its symptoms, such as loss of interest, less energy, feelings of low self-esteem or lack of control, trouble sleeping, and trouble focusing. If you know the signs of depression, you can anticipate work challenges and the types of accommodations an employee might need.
Allow a Flexible Schedule
For many companies, a normal work schedule implies being in the office from nine to five. However, an employee suffering from depression may come to you and ask to come into the office later in the day. Sleep problems are common in depression and can involve oversleeping as well as difficulties falling or staying asleep. Helping an employee with a work schedule is therefore a reasonable accommodation and is supported by research.
Simplify Work Scope
Employees experiencing depression may tell you their workload feels too overwhelming or complicated. Depression can affect cognitive function. As a manager, you can help by breaking up large projects into smaller tasks. The benefit of giving smaller, more manageable tasks is that it empowers employees to achieve more frequent experiences of success. Repeated victories over time create new and more frequent positive work experiences. These "wins" increase employee confidence that they can accomplish future tasks assigned to them.
Share Deadlines as Needed
Too many deadlines can be overwhelming for anyone. Also, people with depression often have low expectations about how well they will be able to handle future stressful events. By sharing fewer, shorter-term deadlines, you can help alleviate the sense of being overwhelmed and empower employees to prioritise tasks and manage their workload.
Provide a Supportive Environment
Creating a supportive environment is critical when managing an employee with depression. You should offer clear communication, regular check-ins, and a flexible attitude. Managers should encourage open communication with their team members and create a culture where employees feel safe talking about their mental health.
The Bottom Line
Managing an employee with depression requires a thoughtful and supportive approach. You can help your employee succeed both personally and professionally by learning about depression, making reasonable accommodations, making work tasks easier, sharing deadlines, and creating a supportive environment. Ultimately, this benefits not only the employee but the entire organisation.
Author Teresa Coffey
Resources
https://hbr.org/2020/01/how-to-manage-an-employee-with-depression
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