Employee with anxiety

[HipHopTheHippieToTheHipHipHop]

We’ve just hired someone new at work (in the last month) and he’s great but it turns out he’s got anxiety problems and this week he hasn’t been able to come into the office at all because he’s having panic attacks if he leaves the house.

It’s an office based role and there are some things he can do if he WFHs but especially being so new we need him at work to train him etc etc. Doing that remotely is a big drain on the whole team.

We didn’t know about the anxiety issues when he started (fair enough, he’s had anxiety for years but I don’t think he expected it to be this bad in a new job) and he says he’s working on it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what to do?

We’re comfortable from an employment law perspective that we can let him go should we want to (we don’t) but though other MNers might have some tips

I would give it a bit of time. Starting a new job at the best of times is hugely stressful so hopefully it'll improve as he settles in. I would also agree a limit to home working if it is a big drain on everyone else eg he can do it once per week if he's too anxious to come in the other days it must be taken as time off.

I'd say cut your losses to be honest. That sounds harsh but he's already proving to be unreliable.

It's not fair on your other team members. He concealed his anxiety and that would be a massive red flag for me.

We didn’t know about the anxiety issues when he started (fair enough, he’s had anxiety for years but I don’t think he expected it to be this bad in a new job) and he says he’s working on it but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what to do?

Don't be in a rush to "cut your losses" until you have had the honest conversation with him. He may be a good employee that you are letting go without giving him the opportunity to get over whatever anxiety problem has emerged.

He needs to self-certify for his current period of absence. Every time he is off, he should complete a SC form because it creates a formal record of absences during his employment. He shouldn't just be off at home, without having the formal records kept. If his absence extends beyond the self cert period, he then needs to get a GP fitness note.

Does your recruitment process include establishing whether the candidate has any disabilities incl MH. Although his anxiety may not be classed as a disability, sometimes it can emerge after the fact that it is - if you do decide to part company, you need to evidence that you asked the question and that there was no way of knowing about any conditions he had, and that it was a circumstance that transpired during his employment.

It's probably linked to the new job - give him support and time to settle in - not everyone is a robot

Do you have an occupational health department? He probably needs a good manager to support him and a plan

Thanks everyone, we’re not thinking of letting him go we just want tips on how to be more supportive. We’re a SME so don’t have occupational health or things like that

Maybe suggest a room be put aside as a 'meditation room' so that if things become too much at work he can take himself there for some quiet time to de-stress?

You could offer to be a mentor to him so any issues he has he can bring up to you as a safe zone so he's not bottling up his fears.

Let him know you support him and understand that he may need some extra help x

This may sound really obvious so you haven't mentioned it in your post but have you actually asked him?

He will likely be aware of his triggers, ask if there is anything you can do to help support him in his role.

Refer him to occupational health and come up with a good plan in how he will be supported.

Offer regular one to one meetings with him and perhaps a friendly colleague to act as mentor.

If if he has a probation period I would extend it every time he is absent by the same amount.

Do you know if there was anything at work that triggered it, anything he was doing last time he was in that he found challenging? Has this happened in his previous job and how long was he off for then?

I would consider the prospect of him not returning to work for a substantial period, if at all unfortunately

Is he getting support and treatment for his anxiety outside work? If not, signpost him to his GP and organisations like MIND and anxiety support groups.

Discuss with him whether any reasonable adjustments could be made to support him attending work.

Discuss with him what if anything triggers his anxiety and what measures can be put in place to avoid the triggers.

Hold regular probation review meetings to review performance, attendance and support. However if his attendance is not satisfactory do consider dismissal at end of probation.

Make reasonable adjustments to accommodate him within your business. Extend his probationary period. Have a genuine conversation with him about him managing his anxiety to fulfill this role. It may be something he can overcome within the next few months and be a brilliant member of the team, or that he simply cannot hold down the position due to his anxiety, which isn't fair on him or yourselves and the business. Good luck OP!

If if he has a probation period I would extend it every time he is absent by the same amount.

That isn't good employment practice. It could give the employee the message that "you're ill, we're going to punish you". The normal approach is a one- off extension of probation, with a specific target, such as a performance, skill or behaviour matter that the employee is required to address within the extra probation period. In this case it could make the man even more anxious, which is counterproductive imo.

But he's missing his training, which is likely to make him fail probation if he doesn't get the time back either due to his absence level or his lack of skills. I suppose you could add it up and extend it once at the end for an appropriate time. It's not a punishment. Punishment would be refusing to extend the probationary period (I really do hope he's got one!)

Have you completed a workplace stress assessment with him? This essentially identifies what the stress triggers are, so you can then build an action plan together to avoid or mitigate these. It would be a way of encouraging him to think about what he could do, with your support, to improve his coping mechanisms.

"Does your recruitment process include establishing whether the candidate has any disabilities incl MH. Although his anxiety may not be classed as a disability, sometimes it can emerge after the fact that it is - if you do decide to part company, you need to evidence that you asked the question and that there was no way of knowing about any conditions he had, and that it was a circumstance that transpired during his employment."

Don't listen to this. It's unlawful to ask health questions during recruitment unless you need to ascertain if someone can do the intrinsic parts of the role. You can ask them after a conditional job offer is made.

You can! I said recruitment process - they are able to establish whether reasonable adjustments are required, even at the interview stage they can ask the candidate whether they need any reasonable adjustments to be made for the interview itself.

I did not say the company does it in a way that could compromise fair selection of a candidate, but for the employer to be in compliance with the Equality Act they need to know what they can do to support someone with Disabilities. This is often in the form of a health questionnaire the successful candidate is asked to complete prior to starting the role. The timing is key.

I don't what to derail the thread by arguing this but asking if someone needs reasonable adjustments for the interview is very different to sending out a health questionnaire.

Thanks everyone, we had a good chat yesterday and it seems the trigger isn’t being at work it’s the commute to the office with the traffic etc. It’s only 20 mins but he says it’s the same with going to the corner shop, he’s fine when he’s in the shop and he’s fine when he’s home but getting from home to the shop is a problem.

I really don’t think that extending the probabtion sends the right message, not that probation periods mean anything anyway, punishing someone for being ill is a bit harsh and not how we do things at our company, we’re nicer than that.

He’s a bit worried that the stigma of mental illness or being a “nut job” (his words) will impact his job but we’ve convinced him that now we know what’s really going on it’s no more of a problem than if he had a broken leg - makes getting to work hard but makes no difference to him when he’s here.

One of the team suggested he should have a “roofie” with his breakfast and they’ll give him a lift in. By the time he wakes up he’ll be in the office so won’t know anything about it. it would work but I’m not sure it’s entirely legal!

We’re still not sure what to do but it’s good that we’re getting to the bottom of it. His work is really excellent, there’s no way we’re letting him go because he’s a bit nuts.

Punishment would be refusing to extend the probationary period (I really do hope he's got one!)

A probationary period has no standing in law, especially in relation to equality rights. It doesn't matter whether he has one or not, both he and the employer have the same rights on day 1 or day 91. The key point for the employee gaining rights is two years, and of course from day 1 for protection from discrimination.

OP, I would echo other posters, speak to the chap! He may be finding the workload too much, or his place in the office too noisy, or perhaps he isn't feeling confident in the work that he is doing. I'd also suggest someone in the workplace takes a mental health first aid course, they're really helpful.

Cross posted, you're dealing with it really well OP. Is there anyone that could pick him up for work? You could also look into the Access to Work scheme, they used to fund taxi fares but their funding has been cut so they are more restricted now.

www.gov.uk/access-to-work

www.sja.org.uk/sja/training-courses/mental-health-first-aid.aspx?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIva2_y93G2wIVzbTtCh2FLwlCEAAYAiAAEgIYo_D_BwE

Thanks Bombardier, we’ll look into it. Possibly need to get drug councilling for his coworker that suggested doping him as well!!!

I think its great that your supporting him and not being punitive. I have similar anxiety problems, in my personal experience employers go for the 'punishment' route first. And that just makes things so much worse when you just want to get better.

try the 'brain in hand' app which could be purchased through access to work. It helps with time management, organisational skills and also anxiety.