Groundhog Day

For those people who are either furloughed or working from home, everyday feels the same. Some of us struggle to remember what day it is as every day is ‘Groundhog Day’ (worth a watch if you haven’t seen it). 

For those of us who have embraced this change and adapted – well done! There will be some of our team members though that will be struggling with the isolation or perhaps trying to balance work with children being at home. You are not alone.

If you recognize that an employee starts acting differently, this may be the early signs that they are under pressure. Some of the signs to look out for:

Argumentative – they seen to be more agitated and dismissive during virtual conversations.

Punctuality – they are late for virtual meetings or simply do not attend.

Not responsive – they delay or may not reply to messages or calls.

Mistakes – you identify that more errors are being made in their work.

Complaints – negative feedback from co-workers or customers.

Nervous – they just look uncomfortable during discussions and can become more emotional.

If you work with the same people you will get to know certain habits and personality traits within your team. Anything that may appear to be different or out of the ordinary will indicate a potential concern.  

If they are happy to talk about it, then great. This at least provides an opportunity for them to communicate how they are feeling. It would be great to understand if any issues may be related to work (meeting deadlines, not understanding what is required), or factors outside of work.

Acting early can reduce the impact of pressure and make it easier to reduce or remove the causes. If managers are worried that an employee is showing some of these signs, they should encourage them to see their GP. These signs can be symptoms of other conditions. If there is something wrong at work, and this has caused the problem, managers should take action.

Stay safe!