What to do When an Employee Opens up about their Mental Health
Sarah Auer, MPH, CHES® (she/her/hers)
Program Analyst II
[signature_931968460]<http://www.cste.org/>
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
“Using the power of epidemiology to improve the public’s health”
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From: Jessica Arrazola <jarrazola@cste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 4:40 AM
To: Sarah Auer <sauer@cste.org>
Subject: FW: The Management Tip of the Day
________________________________
From: Harvard Business Review <noreply@a.email.hbr.org<mailto:noreply@a.email.hbr.org>>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 4:39:48 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
To: Jessica Arrazola <jarrazola@cste.org<mailto:jarrazola@cste.org>>
Subject: The Management Tip of the Day
What to Do When an Employee Opens Up About Their Mental Health. What should you do if your employee comes to you with a mental health challenge? As a manager, you need to be prepared to have this kind of intimate—and potentially challenging—dialogue. First, make sure you’ve prepared for such conversations in advance. You should have a baseline knowledge of available benefits and where to direct people for support. Next, set boundaries to ensure people can get help without depleting your emotional battery. Your role is to provide compassion, guidance, and necessary work accommodations—not to be a therapist. Stick to questions about the impact of their mental health challenges and avoid questions about what’s causing them. Finally, the most important thing you can do is to make the conversation about them and their needs. You might even ask, “Do you need me to witness, help, or distract you right now?” If they need a witness, your job is to listen. If they need help, direct them to the best available resources. If they need a distraction, you could offer to take them out for coffee or accompany them on a virtual walk.
[Management Tip of the Day]<https://t.a.email.hbr.org/r/?id=hbb9e3b5f,174edbeb,174edbed&e=cDE9P3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyX2RhaWx5JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1tdG9kX2FjdHN1YnMmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9c2lnbmlubnVkZ2U&s=gyboXODNQ7ZBLvNVckrX4LJKKm9Clnnjg56P9KCjg3U>
Today’s Tip
What to Do When an Employee Opens Up About Their Mental Health
What should you do if your employee comes to you with a mental health challenge? As a manager, you need to be prepared to have this kind of intimate—and potentially challenging—dialogue. First, make sure you’ve prepared for such conversations in advance. You should have a baseline knowledge of available benefits and where to direct people for support. Next, set boundaries to ensure people can get help without depleting your emotional battery. Your role is to provide compassion, guidance, and necessary work accommodations—not to be a therapist. Stick to questions about the impact of their mental health challenges and avoid questions about what’s causing them. Finally, the most important thing you can do is to make the conversation about them and their needs. You might even ask, “Do you need me to witness, help, or distract you right now?” If they need a witness, your job is to listen. If they need help, direct them to the best available resources. If they need a distraction, you could offer to take them out for coffee or accompany them on a virtual walk.
This tip is adapted from “How to Respond When an Employee Shares a Mental Health Challenge<https://hbr.org/2022/11/how-to-respond-when-an-employee-shares-a-mental-health-challenge?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_actsubs&utm_content=signinnudge,”> by Morra Aarons-Mele
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From: Jessica Arrazola <jarrazola@cste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 4:40 AM
To: Sarah Auer <sauer@cste.org>
Subject: FW: The Management Tip of the Day
________________________________
From: Harvard Business Review <noreply@a.email.hbr.org<mailto:noreply@a.email.hbr.org>>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 4:39:48 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
To: Jessica Arrazola <jarrazola@cste.org<mailto:jarrazola@cste.org>>
Subject: The Management Tip of the Day
What to Do When an Employee Opens Up About Their Mental Health. What should you do if your employee comes to you with a mental health challenge? As a manager, you need to be prepared to have this kind of intimate—and potentially challenging—dialogue. First, make sure you’ve prepared for such conversations in advance. You should have a baseline knowledge of available benefits and where to direct people for support. Next, set boundaries to ensure people can get help without depleting your emotional battery. Your role is to provide compassion, guidance, and necessary work accommodations—not to be a therapist. Stick to questions about the impact of their mental health challenges and avoid questions about what’s causing them. Finally, the most important thing you can do is to make the conversation about them and their needs. You might even ask, “Do you need me to witness, help, or distract you right now?” If they need a witness, your job is to listen. If they need help, direct them to the best available resources. If they need a distraction, you could offer to take them out for coffee or accompany them on a virtual walk.
[Management Tip of the Day]<https://t.a.email.hbr.org/r/?id=hbb9e3b5f,174edbeb,174edbed&e=cDE9P3V0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyX2RhaWx5JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1tdG9kX2FjdHN1YnMmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9c2lnbmlubnVkZ2U&s=gyboXODNQ7ZBLvNVckrX4LJKKm9Clnnjg56P9KCjg3U>
Today’s Tip
What to Do When an Employee Opens Up About Their Mental Health
What should you do if your employee comes to you with a mental health challenge? As a manager, you need to be prepared to have this kind of intimate—and potentially challenging—dialogue. First, make sure you’ve prepared for such conversations in advance. You should have a baseline knowledge of available benefits and where to direct people for support. Next, set boundaries to ensure people can get help without depleting your emotional battery. Your role is to provide compassion, guidance, and necessary work accommodations—not to be a therapist. Stick to questions about the impact of their mental health challenges and avoid questions about what’s causing them. Finally, the most important thing you can do is to make the conversation about them and their needs. You might even ask, “Do you need me to witness, help, or distract you right now?” If they need a witness, your job is to listen. If they need help, direct them to the best available resources. If they need a distraction, you could offer to take them out for coffee or accompany them on a virtual walk.
This tip is adapted from “How to Respond When an Employee Shares a Mental Health Challenge<https://hbr.org/2022/11/how-to-respond-when-an-employee-shares-a-mental-health-challenge?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_actsubs&utm_content=signinnudge,”> by Morra Aarons-Mele
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Using Simulations to Upskill Employees <https://hbr.org/2022/11/using-simulations-to-upskill-employees?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_actsubs&utm_content=signinnudge&utm_term=subben_buyeracq_subarticle&utm_content=signinnudge>
by Frank V. Cespedes, Trond Aas, Alex Hunt, and Huw Newton-Hill
These immersive, true-to-life scenarios help people practice skills in situations that replicate job conditions.
Read now <https://hbr.org/2022/11/using-simulations-to-upskill-employees?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_campaign=mtod_actsubs&utm_content=signinnudge&utm_term=subben_buyeracq_subarticle&utm_content=signinnudge>
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