Employee Wellbeing & Manager Responsibilities — Compliance Scenario
A High-Performing Employee Has Been Missing Deadlines and Withdrawing From the Team for Weeks. You’re Her Manager. What Do You Do?
A real workplace compliance scenario — with three decision options and the right answer.
Quick Answer
What is a manager’s responsibility when they notice signs that an employee may be struggling with their mental health? A manager’s role is not to diagnose or provide therapy — it is to notice, to create a safe opening, and to connect the employee with appropriate support. This scenario shows why waiting for an employee to self-identify is the wrong default, and why the Observation-Listen-Support-Refer model gives managers a practical structure for a conversation most people feel unequipped to have.
The Situation
Sarah has been one of your strongest performers for two years. Over the past four weeks she has missed two deadlines, submitted work that is below her usual standard, stopped joining the team for lunch, and appears tired and withdrawn in your one-on-ones — answering questions briefly and not volunteering anything additional. You have no idea what is happening in her personal life. You are not a therapist and you don’t want to overstep. You are also conscious that her performance is starting to affect the team’s delivery.
What Should You Do?
Choice AAddress the performance issue directly. Raise the missed deadlines and quality concerns in a formal one-on-one. Keep the conversation focused on work outcomes. If Sarah wants to share what’s happening personally, she will. It’s not your place to ask.
Choice BHave a check-in conversation using the Observation-Listen-Support-Refer model. Name what you’ve observed — specifically and without judgment. Create space for Sarah to share what she’s experiencing. Offer support. Connect her with available resources. You are not diagnosing or counseling — you are opening a door.
Choice CRefer directly to HR and let them handle it. This is beyond your expertise and HR is better equipped to manage situations involving potential mental health concerns.
The Right Call
Choice B — the check-in conversation. Choice A addresses the symptom without the person. Choice C removes the manager from a relationship that is theirs to manage.
A manager who addresses only performance and ignores visible behavioral change has communicated that missed deadlines matter more than Sarah does. A manager who immediately refers to HR has abdicated the most important part of their role — being the person Sarah has a relationship with. The check-in conversation is not therapy. It is a manager saying, “I’ve noticed. I care. Here’s the support available to you.” That is exactly what the role requires.
The Conversation — Using the Observation, Listen, Support, Refer Model
Observe:
“Sarah, I’ve noticed that you’ve seemed quieter than usual in our one-on-ones, and I know a couple of the recent deadlines have been harder to hit than they normally would be for you. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing — not about the work, but generally.”
Listen:
Give Sarah space to respond. Do not fill the silence. Do not suggest explanations. Do not offer solutions before you understand the situation. Active listening here means resisting the impulse to fix and letting the conversation go where it needs to.
Support:
“Thank you for telling me that. I want you to know I’m here to support you. Is there anything about your workload or your schedule right now that would help if we adjusted it? I want to make sure you have what you need.”
Refer:
“I also want to make sure you know about the Employee Assistance Program — it’s completely confidential and includes access to counseling and support services. I can get you the information if that would be helpful. You don’t have to be in crisis to use it.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a manager’s actual responsibility when they suspect an employee is struggling?
A manager’s responsibility is to notice, to create a safe opening for conversation, and to connect the employee with appropriate support. It is not to diagnose, counsel, or resolve the underlying issue. The distinction matters because it keeps the manager within appropriate boundaries while ensuring the employee receives both human recognition and a pathway to professional support.
What if the employee doesn’t want to talk?
Respect that. The goal of the conversation is to open a door, not to require the employee to walk through it. If Sarah says she’s fine, acknowledge it, let her know your door remains open, mention the EAP as an option, and follow up gently in two weeks. The conversation itself communicates that she is seen — whether or not she chooses to share more.
Should the performance issues still be addressed?
Yes — but separately and with context. After the check-in conversation, the manager can acknowledge the performance concerns in a way that is supportive rather than evaluative: “I know this has been a difficult period. Let’s talk about how I can help you get back to where you want to be on the project.” Performance management and employee support are not mutually exclusive — but the order and framing matter.
What is an Employee Assistance Program, and why should managers know about it?
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is an employer-provided benefit that offers confidential counseling, mental health support, financial guidance, and other services to employees at no cost. Managers who know about the EAP and proactively mention it give employees a pathway to professional support they may not have known about or felt comfortable seeking independently. Mentioning it normalizes help-seeking.
How to Use This Scenario in Training
Supporting Employee Mental Health training equips managers with the model. This scenario makes it stick.
Xcelus recommends this scenario for all managers and team leads. The Observation-Listen-Support-Refer structure embedded in this scenario gives participants a practical framework they can apply the next time they notice a team member struggling — without requiring them to step outside their professional role or expertise.
More Compliance Scenarios
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A high performer has stopped contributing in meetings. Nobody did anything wrong. What’s happening? |
Non-Retaliation An employee who filed a complaint received their lowest performance rating in five years. Is that retaliation? |
Harassment A private group chat is mocking a colleague. The target doesn’t know it exists. |
Supporting Employee Mental Health — Manager Training
Xcelus builds manager training that equips team leads to recognize signs of struggle and have the conversations that create a genuinely supportive workplace — without stepping outside their professional role.