Stressed Out: The Story Behind a Difficult Employee
When was the last time you checked in on the mental health of your employees?
No employee wakes up in the morning with the intention to be difficult; every person has a life outside of work with all of the ups and downs that accompany it.
If one of your employees suddenly starts ‘acting out’ seemingly from nowhere, they may be stressed out from a number of potential causes in either their personal or professional life. Stressed out employees will not be able to focus on their work tasks and their performance will suffer.
Before you can address an employee’s problem behavior, you will need to find the root cause behind their actions.
Stress from Global Crises
The percentage of people experiencing daily stress and worry during the COVID-19 outbreak has increased to unprecedented levels, with about 51 million more adults self-reporting increased levels of stress and worry than reported prior to the outbreak. For comparison, this huge drop in wellbeing is double that of the drop during the 2008 Great Recession.
Having to constantly assess risks throughout each day over the past two years has taken its toll on American adults, resulting in exhaustion from non-stop decision-making. If your employee is struggling to make quick decisions in the tasks required from their job, chances are that they are simply exhausted.
Workplace Stress
Sometimes workplace demands are the cause of stress for your employee: forty percent of U.S. workers report experiencing stress at their jobs.
What causes employees to feel stressed at work? Workplace stressors can include feeling overwhelmed from heavy workloads, increases in responsibilities, long work hours, and not feeling supported by management.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), workplace stress arises when there is a poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or needs of workers. If your employee is stressed due to their work responsibilities, you will need to address the underlying disconnect between what the business expects of the employee and what the employee is actually able to accomplish.
How to Address an Employee’s Negative Behavior in the Workplace
Give Your Employee the Opportunity to Speak about their Stress
It is important to remain compassionate when speaking with your employees about problem behavior.
Create an environment where your team feels comfortable coming to you for help when they are stressed or otherwise struggling. The bond between you and your employees will be strengthened when you respond to employee mistakes with empathy instead of anger.
If your employee is not ready to share with you their situation, don’t pry–instead, let them know that you are available to listen whenever they are ready to talk.
If you need additional support for cultivating this environment, consider adding additional services to your employee benefits, such as chaplaincy or another type of Employee Assistance Program (EAP), to serve as a safe way for your employee to get the care they need.
How CCA Can Help Your Employees
Our chaplains at CCA are here to support your employees with confidential and permission-based care. Your chaplain is a trusted confidant that your team can go to no matter what.
Our chaplains are available 24/7 for you and your team. Contact Corporate Chaplains of America today to learn how to support your team as you seek to grow a thriving, healthy work culture for your team.
