The key to dealing with a serious illness in the workplace is balancing the needs of the organization with those of the ill employee and his or her co-workers. Your patience, flexibility, compassion, and professionalism will send the message to employees that your organization is one that values each of its members.

Anticipating an illness
As a manager, you can anticipate and prepare for the unexpected by taking these steps:

• Stay up-to-date on company policies. An employee who is dealing with a serious personal or family health problem may have urgent questions about benefits, insurance, or medical leave. Staying up-to-date on company policies will enable you to provide answers without delays that may increase the anxiety of someone who is going through a difficult time. Talk to your human resources representative if you aren't sure how policies might apply to your employees.

• Find out what resources are available. Most people who have a serious illness need more support than their managers alone can provide. Make sure you know what kinds of resources your company offers so that you can provide the information quickly (or use the resources yourself) when the need arises. The program that provided this publication can help.

• Be prepared to respond immediately. When someone on your staff dies or faces a crisis, it's important to respond quickly. If you do nothing, you may appear insensitive to the concerns of your staff. But if you spend too much time with an employee who is seriously ill, you may neglect your other responsibilities. If you aren't sure how to balance the two approaches, talk to other managers in your company about how they have handled similar situations in the workplace. Or, contact your company's human resources department.

Responding to a serious illness

• Listen carefully to your employee and ask what you can do to help. When an employee comes to you with the news that she has a serious illness, give her your full attention. Put aside less urgent matters and listen to her concerns. Remember that a loyal employee may feel guilty about needing major surgery or a medical leave at the "wrong" time -- for example, just before a big sales conference. Reassure her that you understand that she needs to make her health her first priority.

• Respect a desire for privacy. Find out what your employee would like you to say to co-workers about her condition. Some people prefer to keep the news of an illness from their co-workers for as long as possible. Others want to let everybody in the office know right away. Respect your employee's wishes, but make sure she knows that you will need to tell your supervisor that she is ill. Tell her what you will say to your manager and make clear that you will reveal only the details necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of the office.

• Encourage openness. While respecting your employee's desire for privacy, encourage her to let people know about her illness if she feels comfortable with this. She may not realize that others have noticed that she's been losing weight or missing a lot of work. If her co-workers have begun to ask questions or if you sense that a lack of information is affecting office morale, talk to her about your concerns and suggest ways that you might be able to deal with them. Even if your employee doesn't want people to know what illness she has, she might not mind if you told co-workers that she is facing surgery or a series of continuing medical treatments.

• Talk to your supervisor privately. As soon as possible, let your manager know that an employee is seriously ill. Your supervisor may need to adjust a budget so that you can hire temporary help or take other steps to keep the office on an even keel. Your manager might also be able to give you ideas on handling the situation or suggest helpful resources.

• If needed, consult your human resources department. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to take steps to accommodate employees with certain kinds of illnesses or disabilities. If you aren't sure how the law might apply to your department, talk with your human resources representative.

Staying in touch when someone is on disability
Good communication is essential when a member of your staff goes on disability because of a serious illness or injury. Even if the condition prevents you from talking to an employee for more than a few minutes at a time, staying in touch shows that you care about your staff. Some good ways to keep connected include the following:

• Invite the person on disability to meetings and office social events. Even the most seriously ill employees have good days as well as bad. Make it optional, but don't exclude someone from an important event just because he's been out on disability. Inviting the employee lets him know that you still regard him as a valued member of the team. He and your staff will appreciate the gesture even if he can't attend.

• Visit at least once a month. If someone who reports directly to you will be out for a long time for major surgery or another serious condition, try to visit at least once a month if he is ready for visitors. Encourage your supervisor to visit, too. Face-to-face contact lifts an employee's spirits and makes it easier for you to judge how well he is recovering.

• Encourage other employees to stay in touch. Research has shown that frequent short visits and conversations are more comforting than occasional longer ones. Regular visits give the person on disability something to look forward to and allow him to make plans at a time when he may have little control over his life. Letting the employee know that you care is more important than any specific action you take. Regardless of whether visiting is possible, encourage people to send cards, flowers, or notes. You might consider making an office video that lets co-workers express their good wishes.

• Check with the employee -- or his family -- before giving out a home address or phone number. Visits and phone calls can exhaust someone who is trying to recover from surgery or a serious illness. Find out whether the employee wants you to give out his home address or phone number and, if so, to whom. Always get his permission -- or, if he is too sick to give it, his family's permission -- before you include this kind of information in an e-mail message, a memo, or a bulletin board message.

Managing during an illness
When someone is on disability, you need to keep your office running smoothly no matter how much personal sadness you feel or how long the illness may continue. This task can be especially challenging if an employee wants to work for as long as possible, but her co-workers have begun to resent doing extra work because of her frequent absences or a reduced ability to do her job. Here are some ways to prevent the situation from turning into a crisis that affects the entire office:

• Let people know that you appreciate any extra efforts they make when an employee is on disability. Co-workers of an employee on disability may have to temporarily take on more work. Let people know that you appreciate their extra effort to keep the office running smoothly.

• Watch for signs that people are doing too much. Employees often go to great lengths to "cover" for a co-worker who is sick, especially if the person is popular in the office. Look out for people who may be taking on too much, for example, employees who are neglecting their own work to help with someone else's job.

• Bring in extra help. Depending on the severity and length of the illness, you might consider hiring temporary workers or "borrowing" employees from other parts of the company. Talk to your supervisor about how you can meet your staffing needs.

• Talk with the employee experiencing medical or health problems about your concerns. Your employee may be hoping that you haven't noticed how the work is piling up on her desk or that she hasn't been able to provide customers with the kind of service they usually receive. Talk to her about your concerns with her performance and see if she has any ideas for resolving them. She may have been considering part-time work or a reduced schedule but has been hesitant to suggest these for fear of putting an extra burden on co-workers.

• Adjust the employee's work responsibilities. You might consider accommodating or temporarily transferring the employee with medical or health concerns to a less stressful or less physically demanding job. Or, you might reduce her responsibilities or offer her part-time work or a job-sharing arrangement. Check with your human resources department to make sure that anything you propose falls within the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Someone who continues to have trouble doing her job may need to take a family or medical leave or disability. Although these steps are usually a last resort, an employee may be more willing to consider them if you and she have tried together to resolve your shared concerns.

© 2008 Ceridian Corporation. All rights reserved.