Blog

Randall Kratz, FEI Senior Account Manager

We’re all susceptible to sudden changes in mood, especially during the hustle and bustle of the workday. The mood of a boss can impact employees in different—and sometimes negative—ways, so it’s important managers and other supervisors maintain awareness of their emotions, and to take a step back, breathe, and re-evaluate when necessary.

Raquelle Solon, FEI Business Solutions Engineer

April is Autism Awareness Month, and many are sharing the success stories of autistic individuals like Dr. Temple Grandin and Carly Fleischmann. In an effort to highlight the lives of those who communicate with less desirable behaviors—hitting or biting, for instance—Raquelle Solon takes the time to discuss how The Mandt System® helps establish key concepts in crisis intervention when interacting with nonverbal communicators, including those with autism.

Amy Haft, FEI Senior Account Manager

More people with serious illnesses are choosing to stay on the job thanks to advances in medical care, but managers and co-workers aren’t always equipped to handle these situations.

By understanding key issues surrounding serious illnesses—including information about the illness, federal and privacy laws, and workplace strategies—managers can effectively accommodate employees who have serious illnesses while maintaining a positive work environment for all.

Marcia O’Boyle, FEI EAP Services Center Manager

Recovering from crisis can be difficult if basic needs are threatened. Fortunately, there are several resources available before, during and after a crisis situation that acknowledge victim concerns and provide critical information during times of extreme duress.

Janice Lieber, FEI EAP Counselor

The workplace is a complex environment of personalities and opinions. While most employees are able to navigate their differences in healthy and constructive ways, others choose to be disruptive, intimidating and aggressive.

Managers do their best to work with disruptive employees and, with the aid of human resources, can successfully address challenging workplace behaviors. Sometimes more must be done, however, and a manager referral to the company employee assistance program (EAP) is necessary to tackle persistent behavioral concerns.

Amber Meulendyke, Marketing and Public Relations Manager

We’ve all had days where we haven’t been our best selves, reacting poorly while engaging with others. For some, however, this reaction is a result of being “stuck”: Extended periods of high-stress situations have created a perpetual state of arousal or alarm.

FEI has developed tools to assist employees with addressing issues of constant stress, providing organizations the means with which to loosen stress switches and return individuals to a prevailing sense of calm.

Michael McCafferty, FEI Senior Account Manager

We often take safety at work for granted, until a traumatic event reminds us that accidents and injuries are a part of life. But what can organizations do when faced with workplace tragedy?

Supporting employees after a critical incident means investing in a workforce’s capacity for resilience and well-being. Managers and other supervisors, with the help of an employee assistance program (EAP), can ensure employees take the steps needed to recover from on-site incidents of a traumatic nature.

Katie Moser, FEI Network Operations Specialist

An often overlooked characteristic of working with traumatized or suffering people is secondary trauma. Whether someone is a law enforcement officer or a health care worker, the effects of secondary trauma, if neglected, can lead to a number of physical and mental challenges.

Recognizing the signs and symptoms of secondary trauma will aid both employees and their employers in combating related consequences, as well as begin taking the necessary steps to avoid increases in stress, absenteeism and turnover.

Gary Skaleski, FEI EAP Counselor

Over the past few months, more employees have been turning to their employee assistance program (EAP) for help with increased anxiety over current and ongoing events.

Managers are uniquely positioned to decipher the general attitudes of direct reports. It is important to recognize when anxiety or stress is impacting performance; referring employees to the EAP can help lessen the weight of real-world anxieties.

Aimee Hoffmann, FEI EAP Counselor

Tensions are running high among families, friends and co-workers as news continues to raise anxiety and increase stress across the country. Sometimes, however, all we need is a good laugh to feel better. Humor can be overlooked as a coping mechanism, but research has shown its behavioral and health benefits as well as its positive impact on employee productivity and engagement.

Julie Sharp, FEI Account Manager

More studies are finding a distressing trend in the American workplace: mortality rates among middle-aged workers, many of whom are white males, are increasing. While the reasons vary, one in particular has impacts that stretch beyond the confines of demographics and into the greater workforce: suicide.

Suicide awareness and prevention is growing, including at work. Managers can find a plethora of resources to aid them in efforts to prevent suicide and support well-being in their organizations.

Ralph Metzner, FEI Director of Product Management

2017 has had a stressful start, due in large part to national headlines and the tide of news overwhelming the U.S. It’s no surprise, then, that stress is bleeding into our workforces and causing a lack of productivity and feelings of hostility.

Stress, whether good or bad, must be acknowledged by employers in order to maintain a civil and resilient workforce. Reacting to stressful situations is normal; it’s how we handle our stress that informs our day-to-day interactions.