We like to say as managers to “not bring your personal problems into the workplace” but the reality is that that’s not always possible. Given that we spend our best waking hours in the office, it stands to reason that sometimes there will be an overlap between a personal life and a professional one.
Part and parcel with having employees is that occasionally you may notice that something is very ‘off’ with someone on your team. You might not know what the problem is right away. It could be necessary to ask them or to look for tell-tale signs that indicate what the problem is. In this article, we provide some guidance on how to spot an employee having a personal issue.
Be a Good Listener
Sometimes an employee suddenly feels overwhelmed by life. At such a time, you can often see it in their body language and general sour disposition even if they’re not running off to the washroom in tears.
While you don’t wish to pry into their private affairs, it’s still a good idea to tell them that if they wish to talk, you’re there to listen. Listening is far more important than talking, if they do wish to talk about it. Some people just need to get things off their chest, and they’ll feel okay to continue after that.
Financial Difficulties
Some employees run into money problems, no matter how much they are getting paid. The average worker has trouble scraping together $400 in a financial crisis.
Spotting when a team member has a problem with money isn’t easy, but it’s still possible. They may begin cutting back on lunches (or skipping lunch altogether claiming to be on a diet). You might hear through the grapevine that their phone got shut off or repairs on their car haven’t been done and it keeps breaking down on the way to work.
To deal with such problems, advance loans are one way to resolve a short-term personal spending issue. This type of payroll advance is available within a short period of time to get through a situation where there’s too much month at the end of the money. A payroll advance loan is available up to $2,500 depending on how much someone can qualify for. They don’t need to suffer if they can get a payroll advance online from a reputable company.
Relationship Trouble
In situations where they have relationship troubles and are quite upset, their emotions will be raw and on the surface. They might not be able to complete their workday if they’re sufficiently upset. Their presence will also be disruptive in the workplace too. Therefore, it might make sense to let them leave early if they cannot collect their emotions, or to work in a separate office.
If they received bad news shortly before lunchtime, allowing a staff member to take a longer lunch break than usual gives them time to process the news a bit more.
Family Trouble
Family trouble is hard to deal with as it’s not usually a short-term problem. If there’s ongoing strife with an employee and their family rocking the boat, it’s difficult to lend support other than a friendly ear as needed.
Spotting an employee with a problem isn’t easy. Sometimes you’ll need to talk to a colleague to check whether there’s something you need to know. They may know before you do.
