On a rainy November day, I was meeting with one of my consulting clients. We were catching up on the last week when he mentioned if I had heard about John? No, I did not know about John. “What’s up?” I stated.
John was feeling down having recently broken up with his girlfriend. He had not been eating and was losing weight, about 15 pounds at this point. On this particular day, a co-worker questioned John about his depressed mood. John responded that he was ok, but this co-worker knew better. She continued her questions until she uncovered a serious breakdown in John’s mental health. If she had not intervened at that time, John may have taken his own life soon. It was very serious.
At the urging of the co-worker, John called his therapist. The therapist also recognized the seriousness of the situation and asked the co-worker to join the call. The co-worker did so and then drove John to the nearest facility to check him in for a mental evaluation. He was safe at that point because a co-worker cared enough about John to ask some tough questions and help John.
Being Resourceful is Part of the Job
The business owner asked me to investigate our resources to see what we could offer John when he was released and to follow up with him over the next few weeks. John and I had a casual relationship prior to this, but I made it a point to let him know that I also cared about his well-being and wanted to help if I could. John chose to return to work as this was comfortable for him. Being home alone with his thoughts was not a good place for him at the moment.
John was planning to return to his parents’ home in another state for Thanksgiving and the company gladly granted him the ability to work remotely as long as he needed to. No strings attached. The company knew he needed time to restore his mental health and they graciously gave it to him without any hassle.
In a company that truly cares about its employees, you find compassionate leaders who will take the time to learn more about a person or their personal situation. In this story the co-worker could have accepted the first answer from John, but she knew him better than that and pushed for more information, in the kindest way possible. That co-worker is a superhero among her colleagues for saving John and getting him the help he so desperately needed and was not planning to get on his own.
Compassionate Leadership Drives Retention
Compassionate leadership is not always the norm in all companies. Sometimes there is a need to train leaders in compassionate communications. Give leaders the resources to be able to support their workers in all aspects of their well-being. Mental health awareness and a focus on well-being have both come into the spotlight during the pandemic and are not going away. Having managers that are compassionate and skilled in having these sometimes-difficult conversations can prove to be lifesaving in some circumstances. If nothing else, it creates a bond of support with that employee that is harder to break.
The organization that I work with truly cares for their employees. This is just one of the ways they support their employees. Their people-first philosophy has increased retention and created a culture of trust and belonging that is highly sought after and hard to come by.
If you’ve read this far, I am sure you are wondering about how John’s story is going. I recently checked in with John. He told me he feels good. John genuinely appreciated me checking in with him. He was solving a challenge at his desk when I found him. I believed him when he said he was doing ok. It made my heart sing knowing he got the help he needed and is doing so much better than just a few months ago.
For more resources on Mental Health visit: Help for Mental Illnesses – National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (nih.gov)