Kristen Bell DeTienne, Jill M. Hooley, Cristian Larrocha and Annsheri Reay* say managers need to know how to negotiate work arrangements for individuals with depression.
Image: Frances Coch
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, yet many employers take an ad hoc approach to handling depression among employees.
Many managers become aware of mental health issues only when they investigate why a team member is performing poorly.
A better scenario would be if employees felt empowered to report a mental health problem and ask for a reasonable accommodation so their manager can intervene to minimise the damage to the organisation and help the employees return as quickly as possible to full health.
Here is a guide for managers on how to negotiate work arrangements for individuals with depression.
Learn about the disorder
It would be easy to think that an employee with depression will first speak with HR staff about work accommodations, but it is likely that your team member (or one of their colleagues) will speak with you first.
Because an employee may come to you without warning, you need to prepare ahead of time and learn about depression and its symptoms.
If you understand the symptoms of depression, you will be able to anticipate work performance issues and the types of accommodations an employee might request.
Allow a flexible schedule
For many, a normal work schedule implies being in the office from nine to five.
However, an employee suffering from depression may come to you and ask to come into the office later in the day.
Sleep problems are common in depression, so helping an employee with a work schedule is therefore a reasonable accommodation and is supported by research.
However, if you allow flexible hours, research suggests two recommendations. First, if needed, set a window of “core hours” or “core days” in which all team members must be at the office.
People dealing with depression benefit from structure but often find it difficult to create structure for themselves.
You can help by facilitating this in a sensitive and responsive manner.
Second, don’t let employees with depression stop interacting with you or other team members.
Withdrawal only exacerbates the sense of isolation that depressed employees already feel.
Research suggests that social relationships at work can act as buffers against depression, and that stronger relationships with managers and peers can lower depression.
Simplify work scope
Depressed employees may tell you their workload feels too overwhelming or complicated.
Depression and lack of sleep can affect cognitive function.
You can help by breaking up large projects into smaller tasks.
The benefit of giving smaller, more manageable tasks, is that it empowers employees to achieve more frequent experiences of success.
Depression is associated with diminished processing of rewards.
The more you, as a manager, can do to reinforce success, the better.
Share deadlines as needed
Too many deadlines can be overwhelming to anyone.
Furthermore, those suffering from depression often have low expectations about their ability to deal with future stressful events.
When sharing deadlines, communicate only as needed.
Yes, a project manager needs to see the timeline for the entire project, but for a specialist on your team, especially one with depression, a full timeline may increase stressors and negative emotions.
You can help by breaking down large projects into their component parts.
Shorter-term deadlines allow employees to see large projects as smaller, more manageable tasks.
Focus on positive outcomes and criticise less
People who are depressed can be highly self-critical.
Rather than highlighting failures, focus on supporting and celebrating moments of achievement.
Moreover, research shows that people who are criticised by someone whom they perceive as highly critical of them are less able to activate neurocircuits that control negative emotions.
Motivation in depressed employees plummets in the face of threats and punishment.
Research suggests that explaining the positive necessity of assignments as a motivation tool is far more effective than sharing the detrimental costs of an unfinished project.
Framing assignments in terms of benefits and importance increases their perceived appeal and strengthens intrinsic motivation in employees.
Additionally, know the strengths of your employees and play to those strengths.
If your employees feel like tasks are designed for them, they’ll be more likely to view the tasks as important, complete them more quickly, and experience a sense of validation.
Be a leader
Coping with depression is difficult, not only for the person with depression but also for those with whom the depressed person interacts.
So, you should be attentive to how interacting with a depressed employee might make you feel.
Does such a situation make you feel angry, frustrated, or diminished in your role?
If so, remind yourself that the person with depression is dealing with symptoms that make every day a struggle.
This is not about you.
This is about how you, as a manger, can step up and help your employee.
Keep in mind that depression is an illness.
In most cases, it is also time limited.
By helping your employee with depression, you help your team, your organisation, and demonstrate strong leadership.
Second, be proactive.
Make sure your employees have the resources they need to be productive.
As a leader, your job is to create a positive work environment that results in better outcomes for all employees — including those battling depression.
* Kristen Bell DeTienne is a professor at Brigham Young University. Jill M. Hooley is Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. Cristian Larrocha and Annsheri Reay are student scholars at Brigham Young University.
This article first appeared at www.hbr.org
