May 5, 2010

New York Times

Offering Help to a Troubled Employee

If a coworker has been acting strangely for a while, and you’re beginning to suspect that something may be seriously wrong – perhaps problems at home, mental health issues or substance abuse – what should you do?

“You never want to be a diagnostician in the workplace,” says Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, chairman and chief executive of ComPsych Corporation, a Chicago-based provider of employee assistance programs. “The chances of you being wrong are far greater than you being right,” he says. “Focus instead on how the problem is affecting the workplace and its impact on performance. In the professional world, that’s what matters.”

If the problems are severe, however, remember that you are a coworker, not a therapist. “Always advise seeking the help of a professional, and that can include the organization’s EAP,” says Dr. Chaifetz. “You can be empathetic, but also let them know you aren’t qualified to help them solve it, although you can certainly help them find someone who is.”