Despite being one of the biggest drivers of workplace-related issues, many employers still don’t know how to recognize the signs of depression, and just as many have no idea what to do about it.
This is a major problem for many business owners, as having depressed employees can expose employers to a long list of consequences, including things like loss of productivity, retention issues, and attendance problems, like employees leaving early, showing up late, or taking long bouts of sick leave.
At any rate, ignoring this stuff is not going to make it go away, and if you don’t deal with it properly, you can end up making everything worse.
Whatever you choose to do about it (or not), this has been an ongoing issue since the dawn of time, and everything that’s occurred over the last couple of years has just compounded the problem.
A survey from Université Laval of thousands of Canadian workers employed by small and medium-sized businesses shows exactly what I’m talking about.
About 55 per cent of respondents said they have to deal with at least one mental health challenge, 22 per cent said they’re burnt out, and nearly one-third said they experience symptoms of depression or anxiety.
In addition, almost 50 per cent of respondents said that the pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental health.
As you can see, the problem isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’s likely to only get worse, especially as many employers are ill-equipped to deal with these issues.
So, if you have employees who are dealing with mental health challenges, and you’re unsure of what to do about it, then you’re going to want to keep reading.
In this article, I’m going to teach you how to recognize the signs of depression in the workplace, and explain how to handle these difficult situations.
How to Recognize Depression in the Workplace
You can’t expect to effectively deal with depression in the workplace if you haven’t learned to identify the characteristics of depression.
I know it can be stressful to deal with this sort of thing, but the truth is, it’s not hard to spot the signs of depression if you know what to look for.
But keep in mind this is coming from someone who’s dealt with depression herself.
You see, the difficult thing about depression, and part of the reason for the stigma surrounding all mental health issues, is that if you haven’t experienced it yourself, it can be tough to understand.
If you’ve never dealt with depression, it can be easy to dismiss its signs as laziness, lack of reliability, or any number of other negative assumptions.
It’s important to point out that depression tends to coincide with existential or mid-life crises, feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, major life events like death and divorce, as well as a plethora of other reasons for being unhappy, and not caring about your performance at work.
So, if a great employee suddenly starts slacking off, they probably didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be lazy. It’s more likely that they’re questioning the meaning of life, pondering their own self-worth, or mourning the consequences of some chaotic event in their life.
That being said, if you’ve never experienced depression before, this may be a bit tough to understand, but before you jump down their throat, try putting yourself in their shoes and showing a little empathy.
In any case, these are some of the most obvious signs that an employee is depressed:
- They look exhausted
- They’ve gained weight
- They reject compliments
- They’re constantly calling in sick
- They’re much more quiet than usual
- They’re much more negative than usual
- They seem to have difficulty concentrating
- They’re having trouble making eye contact
- Their productivity has gone down significantly
- They’re visibly angry, anxious, and/or irritated
- They seem withdrawn and hesitant to interact
- They get really upset about making a small mistake
- They’re reacting to things more emotionally than usual
- They walk around with shoulders slumped forward, or looking down at the floor
All of these signs are what we call stress behaviours. These are the kinds of behaviours people tend to exhibit when their underlying needs are not met, as is so often the case when someone is depressed.
The concept of stress behaviours comes from The Birkman Method, which is essentially a series of personality assessments.
I’m a certified consultant of The Birkman Method, and I’ve used these assessments countless times to help clients better understand their employees, resolve workplace conflict, and build more unified, functional teams.
These assessments are also a great way for employees to get more acquainted with coworkers, and understand what makes them tick, and this can be invaluable for helping them to recognize signs of depression in their coworkers, and learn how to deal with it.
That being said, let’s take a closer look at The Birkman Method, and a couple of other techniques that employers can use to address depression in the workplace.
What Employers Can Do About Depression in the Workplace
Trying to figure out what to do about a depressed employee can be an awkward balancing act, especially if you have one whose productivity is tanking.
On the one hand, you want to show compassion and empathy, and do what you can to offer support to the members of your team.
On the other hand, however, no matter what they’re going through, work still needs to get done, and you can’t wait forever for them to recover.
In any case, if one of your employees is depressed, the techniques below can help you to resolve whatever issues they’re having, and hopefully, retain them as an employee.
The Birkman Method
As I said above, The Birkman Method is basically a series of impartial personality assessments.
These assessments, which use a blend of regression and factor analysis, are used to identify people’s interpersonal styles by analyzing their underlying needs, interests, motivations, and behaviours, along with how they feel about the goals of the organizations they work for.
So, in the context of recognizing and dealing with depression in the workplace, this would involve sitting down with each member of a team, going through the assessments with them, and also taking part in group exercises.
This allows employees to understand how each of their coworkers operates, which should help them to know how to spot the signs that a fellow employee is depressed, and understand how to approach the situation based on that individual’s interpersonal style.
In addition, these kinds of assessments are great for reinforcing the idea that dealing with depression in the workplace isn’t just the responsibility of you as the employer – it’s a responsibility that should be shared by every single member of your team.
If you want to learn more about The Birkman Method, you should read my article on How to Build a Better Team Using The Birkman Method.
Empathy
Sadly, the Université Laval survey I referenced above also found that two out of five respondents are afraid to discuss their mental health difficulties at work, as they feel it could lead to them being treated differently by their manager.
At the same time, in a survey from Capterra on mental health in the workplace, more than a quarter of respondents said they don’t feel comfortable discussing their mental health with their employer.
That being said, when it comes to depression in the workplace, one of the best things you can do as an employer is show empathy toward your employees by letting them know that you care, and working to create an environment where they can feel comfortable talking about their mental health, or at least letting you know something’s up and not being afraid to ask you for the support they need.
Here are some of the best ways you can show empathy toward your employees in this context:
- Encourage them as much as possible, and always let them know if they’re doing a good job.
- If an employee’s productivity slips, don’t berate them or be aggressive about it, and approach the situation from the perspective that they’re probably dealing with something difficult.
- If an unproductive employee admits they’re depressed, avoid putting them on a performance improvement plan, as this can just exacerbate the issue by making them feel even worse.
- Make a habit of regularly checking in with your employees to see how they’re doing.
- If you do notice signs of depression in an employee, ask them what’s wrong, and if there’s anything you can do for them.
- Offer depressed employees a shoulder to cry on if you can, or at least recommend that they might want to speak with a counsellor.
- If they do open up to you about being depressed, ask them what kind of support they need.
- If an employee is depressed, try offering to temporarily shorten their hours, or give them some time off, if possible.
- Make sure employees are taking their breaks at regular intervals, so they can get away from their work and relax, preferably away from their desks.
Team Building
I know a lot of people can’t stand team building, as it can seem contrived, and put people who are more self-conscious into very uncomfortable situations.
But no matter how you feel about it, the fact is team building can be a great way to build camaraderie, help employees to better understand each other, and keep them from getting burned out or depressed about work.
Of course, there are the typical outings, like rock climbing, laser tag, bowling, and mini golf.
But there are also all kinds of other creative ways to do this, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
I have a client who has employees break up into groups and go on walks together during the workday, which doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re stuck at a desk all day, it can make a big impact.
One of the more interesting options in terms of team building is hiring a laughter coach.
Believe it or not, these people actually earn their living by helping people to laugh and teaching them to find greater happiness in their lives by encouraging them to make time for things that bring them joy and make them laugh.
This can be incredibly cathartic, and sadly, is something that’s missing in many people’s lives.
Whatever you choose to do, all of these activities are going to help employees bond with each other, while being able to unwind, have fun, and get away from their work.
At the same time, when you organize these kinds of events, you’re putting an emphasis on work-life balance, having fun, and reducing stress, and this helps to show your employees you care about them.
As corny as it might sound, this sort of thing can really lift people’s spirits, and hopefully, contribute to better mental health and wellbeing for every member of your team.
Do you have depressed employees, but you’re not sure what to do about it? Using The Birkman Method, I can help you and your team better understand yourselves and each other, which will help coworkers to know how best to support one another when dealing with mental health challenges. Contact me today and let’s get started on building a more cohesive and compassionate team.