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Employees in Crisis |
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| How to Deal with a Suicidal or Unstable Employee |
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Written by Malcolm MacKillop and Laurie Jessome
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In an ideal world, a workplace is a place of co-operation,
productivity, and professionalism. Employees bring their skills and
ambition to the office and check their personal problems at the door.
Of course, the reality is that people are occasionally overwhelmed by
issues in their home life and cannot prevent these concerns from
seeping into their workplace behaviour. This is particularly true when
the employee is suffering from mental illness. Although many see mental
illness as a rare or extraordinary occurrence, according to Health
Canada’s 2002 A Report on Mental Illnesses in Canada, approximately 20
per cent of all Canadians will suffer from mental illness at least once
in their lives. As a result, employers need to know how to recognize
and accommodate mental illness in the workplace, especially when an
employee reaches a crisis point.
If an employee’s behaviour gives you a reasonable basis to believe that she is not fit to work because of a mental illness, it is your right — and perhaps your responsibility — to advise the employee that you have serious concerns about her ability to perform the essential functions of her position and that she should see her physician and refrain from returning to the workplace until she has obtained a medical note clearing her for work. If necessary, arrange for an independent medical assessment.
On rare occasions, the issue may present itself in a more urgent manner. Stress, burnout, an unexpected death in the family, or the sudden manifestation of a mood disorder can all result in aggressive or self-destructive behaviour in the workplace. Unfortunately, these episodes are often impossible to foresee and can be dangerous for both the sick employee and her coworkers. So how should you respond when faced with a critical situation like a threat of suicide or violence?
Take it seriously — Contrary to popular belief, people don’t threaten to kill themselves just to get attention. Every mention of suicide or self-harm should be treated as an urgent matter. Similarly, threats of violence against coworkers, supervisors, or members of the public need to be dealt with firmly and immediately. Educate your employees about the limits of acceptable workplace behaviour. Make sure they know that they can and should report any such incidents to their supervisor or to human resources.
Remove the individual from the workplace — Employers are obligated to create and maintain a safe workplace for their employees. If you have reason to believe that your employees are in jeopardy, it is your responsibility to take steps to protect them. A suicidal employee poses a serious risk to herself and to others. She should be asked to leave the workplace immediately. Where necessary, consider involving the police or healthcare workers.
Secure the workplace — It is advisable to request that the disturbed employee return any keys, pass cards, or access codes that would allow her to re-enter the workplace. Clearly communicate to her that she is not permitted to return to work until she is cleared to do so by an appropriate medical professional. If the employee has threatened her coworkers with violence, consider improving protective measures such as surveillance cameras or security guards.
Provide assistance — Many employers have an employee and family assistance program that can provide support and counselling to the suicidal or distraught employee. If your company provides such a program, it should be offered to the employee as soon as possible. If your company does not have an employee assistance program, you may consider helping the employee find an appropriate medical professional.
Crisis management is not the end point of dealing with an employee who is suffering from mental illness. Like any other disabled employee, a mentally ill employee must be accommodated to the point of undue hardship. More than any other type of disability, mental illness requires that the employer work closely with the employee and medical professionals to reintegrate the disabled employee into the workplace. It is advisable to obtain a written authorization from the employee giving you information regarding her diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, and prognosis, as this will allow you to spot any red flags and intervene before she reaches a crisis situation again. When it is time to return the employee to the workplace, you may consider having her sign a reinstatement agreement that confirms that she will continue to receive medical assistance or take medication until her physician advises her to stop and that, should she cease treatment against medical advice, she will face immediate dismissal.
As with any sort of crisis management, training is the key to preventing or minimizing the occurrence of suicidal or violent behaviour in the workplace. Human resources staff should make an effort to educate employees about employee assistance programs and ensure that each has contact information for the program’s confidential counselling services. Expectations regarding appropriate workplace behaviour should be clearly communicated — preferably in your employee handbook — and employees should be told that they are expected to report any inappropriate incidents to their supervisors or to human resources.
Supervisors and managers ought to receive training on how to deal with an unstable employee and should also be encouraged to be observant of employee behaviour. A supervisor who has a good relationship with the employees under her watch will be more likely to observe unusual or troubling behaviour at an early stage, when prevention is still possible.
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