"Sorry, I think I should have said this before - I was faced with depression." Such a letter came to me in the morning from one of the employees who could not close a simple ticket for a couple of days.
Context: I work as a team leader in a large corporation, subordinate - a remote team of 50 people (territorial dispersion - from New York to Tokyo). Faced with depression, an employee of mine - my peer (+ - 30 years), has been working at this place for 5 years. One of the best team members, steadily shows excellent results, there were no problems with motivation before. The working day is irregular: sometimes it’s thick, then it’s empty.
No, this is not professional burnout. His work has always driven him, he does not want to change anything in it (neither location, nor team). "Looking for a therapist."
Some dry statistics . According to the World Health Organization, 264 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In severe cases, the disease can lead to suicide: 800 thousand people die every year as a result of suicide. Depression and anxiety disorders cost the world economy $ 1 trillion a year.
Remote work creates additional risks for the development of depression. According to a 2017 UN report , 41% of members of distributed teams reported a "high level of stress." For comparison: only 25% of workers in traditional offices experienced this condition.
And how are they?
In the United States, a person with disability (depression is on the list of diseases) is protected by Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The employer in this case is obliged to provide the employee with “acceptable conditions” for his work in the circumstances. For example, he can offer a person suffering from depression a flexible schedule, the opportunity to go to the doctor or group therapy during working hours, a quiet workplace, work from home, etc.
The authorities may ask (or may not ask) from the subordinate for a certificate with a diagnosis from a doctor. An employer cannot dismiss a recognized employee - unless he has “objective evidence” that a person cannot do his job or pose a danger to others.
Moreover, according to the law, the employer does not have the right to ask the employee if he is ill with something if he himself did not say. Whether or not to tell your boss about depression is voluntary. Here is what Ronald Riggio, professor of psychology at Claremont McKenna College, told me on this subject:
“This is a very sensitive issue. In the United States, it is unacceptable to ask about the health status of an employee. So the best strategy is to send him to the so-called employee assistance program. Many companies have them (or they have a contract with an external agency): in the framework of such a program, a person facing depression can get the help of professional consultants. ”
How about us?
Do your companies have such “programs”? We have a full-time psychologist, but, frankly, trust in him is about the same as trust in a corporate therapist (she once came to him with, as it turned out, a sinusitis, and he instilled a vasoconstrictor, saying, “there’s no temperature, what else sinusitis "). Much more useful is the opportunity to contact external specialists with whom the company has a contract. Not for one visit (as many have prescribed under VHI), but for the entire period of treatment. By the way, in Russia there are services with which you can agree on the provision of such services to employees, of course, on an anonymous basis. I will not name here, it is easy to google.
Unfortunately, in Russia, for the most part, depression is not considered a serious illness, although in severe cases a person is physically unable to get out of bed. How many sick people get sick leave (and this, by the way, is technically possible)? And this despite the fact that in our country about 8 million people suffer from depression - and these are only those who fall into the field of view of doctors. That is, in fact, there are much more cases. According to statistics , approximately 8-12% of the planet’s population is faced with depression.
3 tips for managers:
- Do not discount the problem. Comforters in the spirit of “This will pass!”, “Do not hang up your nose!” And phrases in the spirit of “Well, not cancer, and thank God!” Are out of place
- Offer assistance. Allow an employee to sometimes work from home (if he is not already a remote worker) or change the situation (internship, vacation). If you let the employee go on a vacation, do not overwhelm him with tasks - let him rest. Do not overload with tasks. Ask an employee how else he can be helped
- Create a trusting environment in the team so that employees are not afraid to share problems with the manager that affect the work process. Maintain confidentiality - the conversation "between us" should not leak
Personally, I told my employee the following:
“You're a great fellow what you said. In our country, this problem is hushed up, many do not take it seriously, they say something like "Get ready, rag!", "Oh, I also have problems", "Mad with fat", etc. With ARVI, people sit on sick leave for a week, and depression for some reason is not considered a reason for absenteeism. In general, if we, for our part, can help you with something, speak. You can try to unload you a little and free you from the N project - you always called it routine. We know that you love business trips - would you like to go to M for a conference? We can also try to transfer you to another country, if, of course, there is such a desire. "
In response, she was thanked that the company did not care, the latest treatment news (I had already found a specialist and started taking antidepressants) and a couple of very modest wishes on the work schedule and tasks.
I give a link to material on a study of the interaction of managers with employees with depression. The main conclusion is that we need to talk.
The main advice for a sick employee:
Notify the guide about a difficult period in life. It is not necessary (but possible) to name the diagnosis. Tell me how this can affect the workflow, ask for understanding, it might be worthwhile to outline the approximate time frames that the process of overcoming the situation may take.
Well, and finally - a link to the Hamilton scale, which was developed back in 1960 and is used by specialists to make a diagnosis and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. And if you yourself suspect depression or your loved ones are worried about your mental health, then never do this, some users of Russian Google:
