Workplace Well-being Exercise
Case Study 1
You are Mark's line manager. He is generally a good worker. Lately, he has been coming into work late, although he stays late to compensate. He also stays late because he is struggling to finish his usual tasks. Mark misses two important meetings in one week because he forgot to add them to his calendar, he seems to have lost track of his inbox and is not responding to emails in a timely manner.
You need to speak to him about his performance and suggest some strategies for getting on top of things. Mark gets upset and discloses that he has recently been diagnosed with depression following a bereavement in his family and has begun taking antidepressant medication. The medication is causing him fatigue and he is struggling to focus.
Case Study 2
You are at work when your colleague Jamal comes in to your office. He describes a feeling of panic and asks what he should do. He seems agitated and unable to sit down or calm down.
He says he feels very worried that he is under performing at work and has started thinking about leaving his job. He tells you he has been experiencing panic attacks recently.
You have all been under a great deal of pressure lately, several people off sick and a deadline to meet. Jamal has always been a hard worker who likes to go the extra mile.
Case Study 3
You are Serena's line manager. Serena has been on long term sick leave for the past 3 months as a result of stress and is due to come back to work shortly on a phased return. You have had conversations with her over the phone while she has been off to check in with her and see how she is doing and now she feels ready to return to work.
The doctor has agreed this but she has expressed worry about being able to cope with travelling to and from work in rush hour and managing her work load. Serena also had a disagreement with a senior manager before leaving and is concerned about facing them again. Serena has been seeing a therapist weekly.