He said he might SNAP!

scantey · February 2004

It is Friday night and I am getting ready to leave for the day when an employee (who is bordering on thin ice- performance wise due to attendance problems) enters my office and asks if we offer any "mental" help. I know he is going through a bad divorce and has been out numerous times (all documented and reprimanded.) He tells me that he is frustrated at work and feels like he might "snap". In digging further he has issues with his immediate supervisor because he is not getting enough "pat on the backs". When I pushed him further on the snapping comment he assures me he meant he would just SNAP and leave the building. We currently do not have an EAP program in place (although I am pushing for one). Am I under any obligation to pay for him to see a psychiatrist... How would you handle? He is also complaining about the overtime and when I told him I could work something out so he could cut back on his OT hours he said he couln't afford to do that... Not sure what he is wanting except for free counseling...

Don D · February 2004

My standard disclaimer is that my answer applies everywhere except California. In my state, the state is divided into mental health regions by the state department of health. There are about 12 regions, each having a variety of offices and service points. All of them offer either free or scaled-cost services in the areas of counseling and support services. They can cost between nothing and a few dollars. Hopefully your state has something similar, since you don't have an EAP. The referrals are simple and the confidentiality is superb. Check it out in your state. Call the health department or any mental health clinic. Even call one that is private. They'll gladly tell you the number to call. x:-)

Whatever · February 2004

Most of the hospitals in this area (especially if the have an er or trauma unit), have walk-in areas for people in distress.

sonny · February 2004

I agree with the others. Look in the yellow pages, there should be a local county mental health clinic or services. I would give him all the information or refer ASAP and try to do a little follow p with him. I would not take lightly this conversation. It's great he assured you that if he snapped he would just leave the building, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't leave and come back. . . if you get my gist.

JM in ATL · February 2004

To follow up with the mental health...

How prepared is your company in the event of workplace violence/ emergency. Do the employees know what to do and how to react?

Do they know how to escape or protect themselves?

It's easy to think that "we" will never be the center of workplace violence or that "it will never happen here", but the truth of the matter is, is that you have an employee who told you that he was going to "SNAP". This isn't a sign of potential workplace violence, it is a neon flashing light in your face and it needs to be documented and acted upon.

Does your health plan offer mental health benefits, most of them these days do. Maybe you can work with him to take a leave of absence to get his situation under control. I understand that money might be a factor for this person, but depending on what you gut instinct tells you, the safety of your office is more important.

I would also recommend that you contact your local police department to ask for assistance in creating an emergency action plan.

Even though you may feel like this employee wouldn't "do anything", you have a responsibility to take this seriously.

I hope you both find the help that you need.

sonny · February 2004

Nicely put JM

HRDallas · February 2004

In situations such as this, we try to assist the employee as much as possible. Does your health insurance cover mental health? If so, try to help find an in-network provider and if necessary, offer to assist with the co-pay for XXX# of visits. Sometimes giving them a paid leave for a few days really helps. Yes it costs the company some money, but it sure beats some of the alternatives. Even an employee who's bordering on thin ice can turnaround and become someone worth keeping given the right help, esp if the problems he's encountering are a direct result of the situation he's trying to deal with. We don't have an EAP but we know a therapist in our building who is in our network and she works on seeing someone almost immediately if we call her with an emergency. It has been our experience that the generally minimal expense on our part of helping out, reaps great rewards. And if the employee ends up being terminated we know that we went above & beyond to try to help them. That generally makes the termination go a bit easier too.

Crout · February 2004

In addition to everything that's been said (all excellent advice) I would have a follow up meeting with him to try and offer him some options, but to also get further into the "snap" comment, which I would interpret not only as a plea for help, but a veiled threat as well. I would let him know that while you're invested in helping him feel better and retain his job, the specter of violence in the work place...even implied...is a very serious issue and carries serious implications. Do not conduct the meeting alone.

mwild31 · February 2004

Okay - devil's advocate here. I only say this because I've been in this situation before numerous times & eventually all the ee's that came to me about 'snapping' or whatever, worked themselves out of a job. First, go ahead and follow through with the advice given - as an HR professional, you should try as many options as you can to retain ee's. When I was first starting out, I put together a list of phone numbers, addresses, goverment agencies, etc. & gave the list to the ee's as well as keeping a copy close by - mainly for referral situations. You need to do all of these things so you'll be able to differentiate between which folks to spend time on and which ones not to.

Call me a cynic, but I think ee's like yours know how to manipulate HR folks. They use buzz words that are 'empty' as in, "He tells me that he is frustrated at work and feels like he might "snap"." But after a more in depth conversation by you, he simply meant it as,"he assures me he meant he would just SNAP and leave the building." It's manipulative in that his words that will catch your attention, possibly change your approach & give him some more time (meaning delay further action) to screw around on the job - it gets all the instincts going to help this fellow out. As the devil's advocate here, I would call his bluff. Have his supervisor, or if you are able to do so, meet with the fellow & put down the job expectations on paper. Let him know what's okay, what's not & what the consequences are. If you need to adjust his schedule to part-time until he can get his act together, then do that. Let him know that the company is here to make a product (or sell a service) & the company wants to ensure a good workplace for all, but bottomline, it is a job & you need people to perform at a certain level. If you follow this advice, my guess is that this guy will work himself out of a job in a short period.

It sounds rough, but my guess is that this guy won't follow through with the referral information you put together & will continue on in 'victim' mode. Now all you have to do is decide how long you (your company) wants to continue the ride. Just my thoughts.

He said he might SNAP!

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