SUPERVISORY CONSULTATION

Just as individual employees benefit from self-referral to the EAP when they are under stress or grappling with personal or work issues, supervisors and managers benefit from reaching out to EAP when they are faced with a staff member’s declining performance. Human Resources professionals can consult directly with EAP as well, or they can coach managers and supervisors to immediately contact EAP.

The Supervisory or Management Consultation begins with a call to EAP. Contact our Clinical Hotline directly at 888-392-0050.

Our specialists will work with you to gain an understanding of the situation and how you would like to see it resolved. EAP specialists will help you frame a performance problem if one exists. This means that the consultation will not focus on theories of why your employee may be acting in a certain way, but will instead serve to identify how performance has been impacted or compromised.

Supervisors and managers should never try to "diagnose" an employee. Root causes of personal matters are not what the supervisor is there to identify. Rather, the function of the supervisor is to direct and manage performance; the lens through which the employee should be viewed is defined by asking "Is he/she performing in an effective way or as needed by this workplace at this time?" To attempt to look through a lens that seeks to understand what goes on at home or in any other arena not observable by you is to venture onto shaky ground. We are each entitled to privacy in our life outside of work, but if troubles result in poor performance on the job, it is that poor performance that triggers the supervisor to act.

The bottom line? If you have a concern about an employee, call EAP to consult. We will help you assess the situation and make a recommendation based upon the details of the situation. We are here to provide support to managers and employees alike to promote a healthy, happy workplace.