Geez....Is She Bipolar or What???

Yesterday we discussed dealing with conduct issues in the workplace. As I was eating my dinner last night, I saw something on television regarding bipolar disorder and I knew I had to write about it. You see, there can be hidden factors that contribute to the conduct of our employees.

Several times throughout my career, I found myself in the middle of dealing with what I would characterize as extremely disturbing behavior from an employee. In my young and naïve leadership days, I thought these employees were just trying to wreak havoc on “my” workplace. I was ready to pounce on the situation and disciplinary action was going to be my weapon of choice! Unfortunately, I was clueless to the fact that several of these individuals were dealing with an actual mental health issue. Then I got a little bit older and a whole lot wiser. I became a self-proclaimed student of human behavior, and this opened my eyes to a whole new world.

I like to think that as a front line manager, I had high level of engagement with each of my employees; it was just part of my natural leadership style. This level of engagement afforded me the opportunity to get to know my team members on a fairly personal (but work appropriate) level. I began to notice their “normal patterns of behavior” in the workplace. Although all employees have good days and bad days, the majority of my employees could clearly manage their emotions effectively while at work. But let’s face it, we are managing human beings whose lives are operating outside of our neat and tidy little work environment, and as I have said before, our lives can change with every breath we take. I have seen employees attitudes and behaviors change over time (for the good and the bad) due to outside influences such as a new boyfriend or girlfriend, a sudden break-up of a marriage, associations with a new group of friends, a new religion, etc. There are countless factors that influence us and change our perspectives and personalities on a daily basis. Each of these influences has the ability to shape the way we look at our jobs and our lives in general. We are constantly evolving and it is all part of the magic of our life’s journey.

I have also encountered a number of situations over the years where an employee’s behavior fell outside of what I considered “normal” or acceptable for the workplace. I learned that sudden and increasingly erratic behavior is cause for concern. Although it may be a minor blip on an employee’s radar, it is all too often the first indication of a possible substance abuse or mental health issue.

The Case Of Chatty Cathy- This issue involved a very bright, middle aged woman who tended to keep to herself in the workplace. She was an average performer on the team, yet was well liked by her coworkers. We will call her Cathy.

Although Cathy would respond to idle chit chat within her work group, she was generally characterized as a loner. She took her breaks and lunches by herself and would often sit and read a book. Cathy dressed in an understated manner, and was quite the “soft-talker”. She confided in me on several occasions that she had struggled with depression for a long time, but was on medication that seemed to be helping her.

One day I began to notice a change in Cathy. She seemed to suddenly become much more outgoing and even began dressing different. She was bringing in food for our team, engaging in conversation throughout the day, and even started sitting with several of the employees at break time. The team was all a buzz about what could be behind this positive transformation in Cathy. At first, it was kind of refreshing. Cathy was a pleasure to be around and had all kinds of new ideas of things we could do in the department. Unfortunately, this new found enthusiasm was about to ramp up to a whole new level. As the days and weeks went on, Cathy’s behavior got to the point of being concerning. She was becoming a distraction to the entire department. She seemed to be talking almost non-stop; often times just rambling on about nonsense. Her co-workers were becoming increasingly distracted by her behavior and were complaining about her. I also started noticing that Cathy was frequently away from her desk. I would have to go on a hunt to find her and inevitably she would be in some other department (sometimes on another floor) just standing there chatting with employees. Her productivity had decreased to virtually nothing.

Although I had been dealing with the different situations as they were occurring, I finally decided that enough was enough, and I sat her down to have a formal performance discussion with her. Unfortunately, Cathy was extremely distracted in the meeting and became increasingly irritable. She seemed to be annoyed with the fact that I was taking some of her precious time that could be better spent doing whatever she thought she was doing all day. I was absolutely flabbergasted!! I made my concerns clear to her and informed her of the consequences for continuing this behavior. She seemed completely unaffected by the meeting.

Unfortunately, Cathy’s behavior and performance continued to deteriorate to a point where I had to make it clear to her that her job was in serious jeopardy. Shortly after this conversation, she went out on a medical leave. I later discovered that Cathy had been dealing with bipolar disorder for the majority of her adult life. I knew nothing about this disorder prior to that, but boy did I get a front row seat to the complications it can cause in the work place.

The Case of Kranky Karl- Karl was a great employee and typically just a joy to be around. He was the kind of guy that would do anything you asked of him and consistently went above and beyond the call of duty. He was polite and always had a smile on his face, even when dealing with the most mundane of tasks.

One day, I happened to be passing by the mailroom where Karl worked. I overheard what sounded like a growing disagreement. As I rounded the corner, I was shocked to see Karl flailing his arms around and arguing with a fellow mailroom associate. As I attempted to enter the conversation to break things up a bit, Karl absolutely flew off the handle and started yelling and cussing at me. I asked the other employee to take a break so I could attempt to calm things down a bit. Once Karl got to a calmer state, I began questioning him about the situation. Karl began rambling on and on about things that did not make any sense to me. After about 45 minutes of this, I suggested that Karl go home for the day. I informed him that we would get back together the next morning to discuss things further.

I then met with Karl’s coworker and he informed me that Karl had been increasingly irritable over the days building up to the incident. Karl’s coworker went on to say that he was actually a little afraid of Karl due to the nature of the outburst. This set off an alarm with me. A wise psychologist once told me that the minute a person becomes literally fearful of a situation, there should be cause for concern. He said it is our inner guidance system sending off a warning signal of potential impending danger. Yikes!! That is pretty important advice…wouldn’t you say?

First thing the next morning, I alerted security of what had transpired the previous day, in the event Karl spiraled out of control again. I then called the mailroom and asked Karl to come and meet with me. He informed me, in a very short and curt manner, that he was way too busy and had a million things on his plate. Rather than get into a disagreement on the phone, I walked to the mailroom. What I saw was shocking to me. Karl was in an absolute tizzy! There was mail everywhere. This was completely uncharacteristic for a guy who was normally an absolute neat freak. When I attempted to engage in a conversation with Karl, he absolutely broke down and started yelling at me. He told me I did not understand the pressure he was under and he just could not do it anymore. I finally got him to calm down enough to have a conversation with him. In the end, I got Karl to see that I was very worried about him and he agreed to go and see his physician. The following day, Karl called to inform me that he was going on a medical leave and wouldn’t be back for awhile. I felt terrible! Here was a guy who was such a joy to be around, and he completely imploded! Like Chatty Cathy, I later learned that Karl also suffered from bipolar disorder.

In both situations, these employees could have been subject to disciplinary action due to their poor conduct or performance in the workplace. However, their mental health issues were responsible for their behavior spiraling out of control. Failing to stay engaged with your employee’s behavior could cause you to miss clues of what is forthcoming. The drama created from these types of situations can be extremely detrimental to your overall work environment. You can also miss an opportunity to take care of an employee who is in desperate need of medical assistance.

Interestingly enough, as close as I was to Cathy and Karl, neither of them chose to disclose their actual condition to me. Unfortunately bipolar disorder carries a huge stigma with it, and many who suffer from it are painfully aware of that fact. Many people downright fear it, while others mock it. Like the title of today’s blog, making casual references to someone being bipolar is extremely common in our current culture. This unfortunately diminishes the seriousness of a condition that can create enormous disruptions in the lives of otherwise kind, loving and talented people.

Both Karl and Cathy returned to the workplace and went on to have relatively successful work lives. They did however both experience the need to take subsequent leaves of absence for their condition. After their initial leaves of absence, I was able to have a different kind of dialogue with each of them about issues that started to arise due to their condition.

Approximately 5.7 million American adults have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and their illness can have serious ramifications their careers and your workplace. Odds are that each of us will encounter an employee who has bipolar disorder at one time or another throughout our careers. Educating ourselves on the signs and symptoms of the disorder put us all in a better position to help the employee and avoid significant disruptions in the workplace.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Bipolar disorder is characterized by episodes of extreme mood swings -- from euphoric or aggressive manic episodes to low-energy depressive states.

Manic State
• Euphoria
• Excessive irritability
• Easily distracted
• Moving around a lot
• Excessive talk; racing thoughts
• Inflated self-esteem
• Unusual energy; less need for sleep
• Impulsiveness, a reckless pursuit of gratification (shopping sprees, impetuous travel, more and sometimes promiscuous sex, high-risk business investments, fast driving

Depressive State
• Depressed mood and low self-esteem
• Low energy levels and apathy
• Sadness, loneliness, helplessness, guilt
• Slow speech, fatigue, and poor coordination
• Insomnia or oversleeping
• Suicidal thoughts and feelings
• Poor concentration
• Lack of interest or pleasure in usual activities

Most large companies have an HR department or an Employee Assistance Program that can help you with issues that may arise when dealing with an employee's mental health issues. Your main concern has to be balancing a healthy work environment with getting assistance for your employee. This is not always an easy task.

WORD OF CAUTION: Be careful not to become desensitized to an employee’s unacceptable behaviors. I have heard some supervisors and managers say things like….”oh that’s just crazy Susie…she has always been like that”.  Well “THAT” is not ok and “THAT” needs to be addressed.

A mental health issue may explain and employees inappropriate behavior in the workplace, but it does not necessarily excuse it or mean that it should be allowed to continue. If you are dealing with a situation that you believe could be the result of a mental health issue, follow your gut instinct and DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM IT! Sit the employee down and share your concerns about their behavior or performance. In the end, you will be doing them a favor and living up to the expectations of your leadership role!

One final thought for the day. Bipolar disorder is subject to ADA guidelines (Americans with Disabilities Act). If you become aware that an employee has bipolar disorder (or any other mental health issue) I highly suggest you reach out to your HR representative to ensure you address any FMLA or ADA requirements in an accurate and timely manner.

That’s all for today. I hope this was helpful!! Please keep posting your comments or email me your questions or suggestions for future topics. I love the feedback!