A Manager Helps a Worker Address His Depression and His Excessive Drinking After a Destroyed Relationship
7th February 2010 by admin No CommentsRuss got suspended from high school when he was fifteen years old and eventually found employment at a local steel mill. For the last nine years he has gained a reputation as a hard-working individual who only once in a blue moon calls off work due to sickness.
Around four months ago he started dating a young woman named Emma. They seemed to hit it off right away and looked as if they had a lot of good times together.
The Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking Begins
When Russ met Emma, he rarely drank. This totally changed when Russ and Emma started seeing each other on a fairly normal basis. In reality, their relationship was going great until Emma called Russ one night approximately 2 AM and said that she had to call off their relationship and that she couldn’t tell him what was going on at that time.
The next morning before he went to work, Russ went to Emma’s apartment and found out in an instant that she had already moved out. Russ took this exceedingly hard. In point of fact, he was taken aback because they appeared to be getting along so very well.
When Heavy and Irresponsible Drinking Leads to Problems at Work
So what did Russ do about Emma’s leaving? Rather than working through his pain and misery, he started getting drunk nearly every night. It didn’t take long for his coworkers or for his supervisor to notice that Russ was coming to work late at least once per week and that he routinely called off sick. What is more, some of his co-workers made an appointment with staff in the HR Department and said that Russ over and over again came to work with a strong smell of alcohol on his clothes or on his breath.
Russ’s manager heard about all of this from Human Resources and also from Russ’s co-workers. So one Friday morning he invited Russ into his office. He told Russ that he had recently noticed a distinct change in his attendance, behavior, work performance, and in his sick time.
When a Boss Can Encourage an Employee to Get Help For His or Her Excessive and Irresponsible Drinking
Russ’s manager also said that a number of his fellow employees reported him to Human Resources because he had been coming to work with a noticeable smell of alcohol. His manager then stated the following: “Russ, your fellow employees are not reporting you to the Human Resources Department to get you into any trouble or because they dislike you but rather because they are concerned about you. And I am concerned too. I don’t want to meddle with your life, but it is evident that you are exhibiting some of the normal signs and symptoms of a drinking problem. As a result, I want you to go and see a healthcare professional in the employee’s assistance program to discuss your drinking situation and your depression.”
“Russ, I’m no healthcare practitioner or a psychiatrist, but I have seen more than a few of my relatives and friends suffer through some really bad alcohol side effects. Furthermore, I have also experienced the signs of alcoholism first-hand in my own family. When people experience problems with drinking, these difficulties not only affect the drinker, but they also make an impact on his or her co-workers, friends, neighbors, relatives, and family.”
Russ admired his boss a lot and as a consequence followed through with his recommendation the next morning when he called and scheduled an appointment with a counselor in the employee’s assistance program.
Russ is Still Depressed But Experiences Some Hope That He Will Get Back on Track With His Life
Even though Russ didn’t necessarily feel any better or less depressed about the sorrow he still feels for Emma, he felt some comfort knowing that his manager and his co-workers cared about him and wanted what’s best for him. This gave him some emotional relief for the first time in quite a few weeks and he truthfully felt some hope that he would get his life back on track.
