Oct. 2, 2010

HR Executive

Averting Tragedy

Workplace experts, as well as authorities on suicide, say HR and company leaders should be on the lookout for warning signs of depression, use their corporate wellness programs to focus on mental health (not just physical health) and make sure those in need are referred to employee-assistance programs.  

In looking for warning signs, HR and line managers should not be on the lookout for people who are having mental problems or who are depressed – they should, instead, be searching for things such as tardiness, absenteeism, lack of interest in work, or changes in performance or attitude, says Richard Chaifetz, chairman and CEO of the Chicago-based EAP ComPsych.

“You don’t want HR to be diagnosticians,” says Chaifetz. “The workplace is not a place for people to be making diagnoses, or trying to evaluate what’s going on in people’s personal lives. There are so many things that could be happening in a person’s life that don’t have anything to do with mental illness [or depression].”

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As the economy headed into freefall and news reports began to surface about workplace suicides, violence and depression, Chesapeake Energy got proactive about its staff’s mental well-being.

“[The economic downturn] led us down the path of wanting to take care of our employees’ mental health,” says Colleen Dame, manager of health-and-wellness benefits at the Oklahoma City-based natural-gas producer.

Chesapeake and ComPsych, its newly named EAP, created a program entitled, “Your Life Matters,” which features a series of online video vignettes, starting with one in which the CEO and senior vice president of HR tell employees how important it is to work on mental health as well as physical health – and encouraged them to use the EAP, which they had just begun contracting with in late 2009. Another featured former NFL football player Trent Smith talking about his struggles with depression.

The company’s health-risk assessment includes a mental-health survey with questions that might indicate if someone is having difficulty with anxiety, stress or depression – and coupling that with programs offering financial advice and bankruptcy advice – can lessen the chances of suicide, says Dame.