(Published May 4, 2009)
In times of high stress like we're in now, what, if anything, can HR do to help employees cope?
The Wall Street Journal reported that an HR executive at Freddie Mac had advised David Kellerman, the acting CFO, to take time off just a day before Kellerman's body was found in his home in an apparent suicide. Paul George, the HR chief, reportedly expressed concern that Kellerman was spending too much time at work and needed a break.
While it is unclear what drove Kellerman to take his own life, it's hard not to connect the dots to the stress he faced at work, where Freddie Mac is under intense scrutiny for approving risky mortgages that are now defaulting, and it is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Reading about the meeting with HR got me thinking about whether and how an employer can help its employees cope with stress. Please note that I am in no way saying or implying that Freddie Mac should have done something more or different. In fact, I applaud the company for offering to give Kellerman time off and to temporarily delegate his duties, rather than having the business-first attitude that he had a job to do and stress was part and parcel of the job.
My question to you is, do you step in if you see a colleague is struggling emotionally, or is it none of the company's business and it is up to the employee to ask for help?
If you do offer assistance, at what point do you do so? Also, where do you draw the line between suggesting and requiring?
There are innumerable stressors in the world, and everyone handles stress differently, which makes trying to help someone cope a difficult, and sometimes impossible, task. The important part is that we try, to the extent that we are able, whether that means giving time off, directing an individual to an employee assistance program, or just being a shoulder to cry on.
Gloria Ju
Editor in Chief
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