HR for Small Business and Accommodating Mental Illness An employee\’s mental illness diagnosis can bring a lot of discomfort for a small business. Issues such as alcohol addiction, depression, or even suicide can creep into the workplace and affect production. How your HR for small business is structured will dictated how quickly and efficiently you can accommodate mental illness issues when they creep up. Mandatory Training May Not Be Enough Even when managers go through mandatory training to recognize and respond to mental illness in the workplace, it isn\’t always enough. People just don\’t know what to do when they encounter a situation that is being dictated by a mental illness until they encounter it personally. A common error is having someone within the business attempt to diagnose the employee and attempt to fix the problem themselves. Mental illness is not something that the employer should be treating. The role of HR for small business is to proactively recognize the potential symptoms of a mental illness and then refer that employee to the appropriate help that is needed. A common benefit that is offered to employees is an Employee Assistance Program [EAP]. These programs are specifically designed to help employees find better ways to cope with personal concerns, including mental illness, in a healthy way. When employees get the help they need, everybody benefits. Are you interesting in setting up an EAP program? Do you have questions about how to accommodate mental illness in your workplace? Then contact HR Business Partners, a Minneapolis based HR consulting firm, with knowledge and experience in the field of small business HR, and human resources outsourcing.2015-03-17 07:16:28
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