HRD talks to a medical doctor about to address anxiety in the COVID-19 era
Living with anxiety is much more than simply feeling concerned or stressed.
An anxiety disorder is a medical condition characterised by persistent and excessive worry. Examples include panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
On average, one in four people – one in three women and one in five men – will experience anxiety at some stage in their life. In a 12-month period, over two million Australians experience anxiety.
Moreover, fears about COVID-19 can take an emotional toll - especially if you’re already living with an anxiety disorder.
According to Dr Jenny Brockis, the challenge for leaders is trying to get a sense of what is really going on.
The medical practitioner told HRD that it is imperative to look out for those cues that somebody might not be coping well or feeling stressed.
“We must make an effort to notice any slight changes in the individual and if their performance has changed,” said Dr Brockis.
“Their level of interactions might have changed or they might be contributing less.
“You’ve identified that something isn’t right, but you can’t put your finger on it.”
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For Dr Brockis, it is then time to just step in and inquire ‘how are you?’ and ‘is everything alright?’
In other words, it’s about asking those open-ended questions and acknowledging that it is a difficult time.
“If you show genuine interest in the person, they are much more likely to feel safe to open up and say, ‘actually I am finding it hard at the moment’.”
However, Dr Brockis said that sometimes a leader or a manager can feel afraid to ask because they might say words to the effect of ‘I’m feeling horribly anxious and I really can’t cope with this anymore’.
“I think sometimes we then take the responsibility into our own hands and think how can I fix this? Well, it’s not your position to fix it. It’s about recognising it and then guiding them to seek the help that they need from a health professional,” she said.
“So, it’s about acknowledging that you have noticed that somebody is feeling anxious and saying ‘I’m sorry, it must be very hard’. Thank you for doing so well at the moment.”
Dr Brockis said that the next step is regularly checking in with the employee.
“You don’t have to check-in with them every five minutes. But just ask every now and then: Are things improving? Are things getting worse? Have you sort any help anywhere else? Is there anything else I can do to support you?
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“It is amazing how much better we feel just knowing somebody has heard and cared. Just having that level of support will give them the confidence.”
Further tips to help employees with an anxiety disorder while working from home include:
- provide information about mental health and other support services available to your workers
- maintain regular communication with your workers and encouraging workers to stay in contact with each other
- offer workers flexibility, such as with their work hours, where possible
- make sure workers are effectively disengaging from their work and logging off at the end of the day
- inform workers about their entitlements if they become unfit for work or have caring responsibilities
- provide workers with a point of contact to discuss their concerns and to find workplace information in a central place
