I have an employee who appears to be struggling in work – what do I do?
Have you or their line manager enabled a private 121 with them to explore why they appear to be having issues - as that is usually the best start. If they have a physical issue, and you have an Occupational health provision they should be able to advise you on the best course of action. If you don’t have direct access to Occupational Health (OH) support, you could consider writing to the employee’s GP, obviously with their consent, to seek their advice. You could also source an external occupational health provider for an independent assessment who could provide help and advice for your employee and yourselves.
If they are struggling with work place issues (such as work related stress) then Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and ACAS have lots of helpful information about dealing with this type of situation. If your employee has Personal stress related issues, then speaking to your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) may be helpful. If you don’t have an EAP, it could be worth allowing the employee some flexitime to ensure they have time to consult their GP for assessment and possible referral for treatment, alternatively if they have access to private medical treatment they could access that.
If there are issues that you think we may be able to help with, please call your dedicated claims manager, they’ll be happy to help.