5 Tips: Performance conversations amid mental health challenges
Navigating performance conversations can already be tricky and complicated. What happens when we add in mental health or personal stressors for a staff member?
We’re often asked by leaders, “can I still performance manage someone when there is a mental health or personal stressor present?” The short answer is yes, with careful consideration and planning.
Our Top 5 Tips
1. Promote collaboration
The leader AND the staff member will play active roles in working together to conceive and implement solutions. This will also likely include input and collaboration with a treating medical practitioner.
2. Adhere to your role scope
For example, it is a leader’s role to listen, be supportive, actively seek understanding, enquire about health and wellbeing and discuss workplace supports. It is not a leader’s role to provide counselling, diagnosis or unsolicited advice about solving personal challenges or navigating a mental health condition.
3. Balance empathy and assertiveness
An effective resolution requires the leader to understand and be concerned for the situation of the individual whilst at the same time be clear about job requirements and expectations.
4. Overcome assumptions
It is an easy trap to make assumptions about what mental health condition someone has, how that impacts their capacity, or how that should be experienced in the workplace. Only a medical professional can provide a diagnosis and to work with the individual staff member to advise how a mental health condition or personal stressor impacts on their capacity at work. Reasonable adjustments are to be considered based on the inherent requirements of the role.
5. Educate yourself
Be up to date with and incorporate the current legislation and codes of practice. Examples include Workplace Health & Safety Legislation, relevant state-based Code of Practice for managing psychosocial risks, Fair Work Act, Anti-Discrimination Act.
Connect with us
Mapien’s national team have a combination of IR, HR, psychology and psychological health and safety experience to offer bespoke workplace solutions.
If you would like to know more about navigating performance conversations amid mental health challenges, please contact us and a Mapien Workplace Strategist will be in touch within 24 hours.
Register for our Brisbane Workshop | Tuesday 29 October
Learn more about how to approach performance conversations when mental health or personal issues show up at Mapien’s one-day workshop.
Balancing performance management and mental health
| Date: | Tuesday 29th October |
| Time: | Full-day (9:00am to 4:00pm) |
| Location: | Mapien | Level 10, 340 Adelaide St, Brisbane |
| Cost: | $895+ GST |
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Waitlists are also open for our February 2025 workshops in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.