Case Studies
- Helping managers manage
- Depression
- Harassment
- Illness in the family
- Assault
- Divorce and separation
Helping Managers Manage
Often, stress-related problems and other difficulties which arise in the workplace can be dealt with effectively by managers. The problem is that managers are often unsure of the most helpful strategy for dealing with them or the right formula of words. Dealing with such a matter badly often makes things worse. CCP Direct provides an instant resource for managers in such situations.
A senior manager rang CCP Direct – he had an employee in his office who when confronted with financial irregularities, had declared his intent to kill himself there and then if the matter was taken further. Whether this was a bluff or not, the manager needed to defuse the situation. Over 10 minutes, he and the CCP Direct consultant constructed a formula of words to deal with this individual. The situation was resolved without incident.
Depression
Depression and anxiety are now the most common reasons for people starting to claim long term sickness benefits, having overtaken conditions such as back pain. In many cases people are able to continue working as long as they have adequate support.
John, a young manager, rang because of a recurrence of depression. He had been off sick in the past and was worried that this would happen again and ruin his career. CCP Direct was able to help John identify a number if things in his life that were contributing to his problems, and give him support, reassurance and advice. In follow-up contacts we supported him while he moved through this difficult period, lasting no more than two months. He never went off sick during this period, and benefited from the structure that remaining at work gave to his life.
Harassment
In a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in 2004, a survey of 1000 employers revealed that most admitted that they did not do enough to tackle the problem of harassment and bullying in the workplace. In March 2005 an employee of Sandwell Council was awarded £82,000 damages for racial harassment and discrimination. Harassment and its aftermath can poison a workplace.
Anne’s company had launched a programme of awareness of harassment and bullying when they commissioned CCP Direct. She felt encouraged to complain about her manager who had been making sexual remarks and slapping bottoms. The offender was sacked. To Anne’s surprise, other staff stopped talking to her and blamed her for the sacking. Her young team leader ignored the uncomfortable atmosphere, whilst colleagues played jokes such as putting salt in her coffee. She became more and more isolated. Eventually she rang CCP Direct. We helped her to talk through her feelings and to work out a strategy for addressing the problems, giving her confidence to involve the company’s HR department in a constructive way.
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Illness in the Family
In a recent study, 1 in 6 employees had eldercare responsibilities, and approximately 5% of UK employees take one day’s sick leave each month in order to care for a dependent relative. From the psychological point of view an employee who takes time off can feel bad about leaving their colleagues to cope, and when at work may worry feel bad about leaving the person who needs care – the result often is poor performance.
Alice contacted us because of her husband’s illness. He had recently been diagnosed with cancer and she was keeping a brave face for him and the family. At work she found herself preoccupied with what might happen. She needed someone completely separate from family or colleagues to talk to about how she felt. We could not resolve the cause of Alice’s problem, but we enabled her to cope better with how it was affecting her both at home and at work. With this outlet, she found her concentration improved and her work performance returned to its normal level.
Assault
The level of violent crime against the person rose by 10% in the period October-December 2004 as compared with the same period in 2003. Whilst companies often deal effectively with trauma occurring within the workplace, trauma unconnected with the workplace can have equally as serious implications.
Mike was on his lunch break when he was followed from a cash machine and mugged from behind. He was away from work for a few days, bruised, and then returned. However, he found he was very anxious whenever he went to work and at lunchtimes, would not go out. When his anxiety threatened to stop him going to work at all, he rang CCP Direct. We were able to review the incident, reassure him about his reactions, and send him information on trauma and relaxation exercises. In another call we established a strategy for tackling anxiety provoking thoughts whilst out, and his reactions rapidly returned to a manageable level.
Divorce and Separation
Divorce and separation are rated as the second and third most stressful life events after bereavement.
During a separation and divorce a caller found that he was having difficulty coping with many parts of his life, including his work. He spoke with CCP advisors several times over a few months. The caller was provided with emotional support and encouraged to share his feelings of failure and rejection. His feelings of failure had affected his self confidence at work. As a result of the telephone sessions he was able to understand the causes of his marital breakdown and see that not only was he solely to blame, but that change was possible in terms of attitudes which had proved unhelpful. Charged with more positive purpose he began to feel more confident again at work.
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