Don’t do nothing! Workforce sought responses to both queries from Mark Gorkin, a social worker in Washington, D.C., who is known as the "Stress Doc." Regarding the long-term belligerent employee, Gorkin wondered whether the man has a special relationship with a member of top management or is being tolerated because of valuable skills or a special contribution to the business. And, about the box-slinger, he suggested the possibility of substance abuse or depression. But in both cases, he strongly urged the readers to take action. Stressing (no pun intended) the negative impact of such behavior on people and on productivity throughout their companies, he also warned that individuals like the two described are likely to escalate their hostility into greater physical violence than mere box-slinging.

Gorkin recommends a series of steps tailored to each situation, including exploring the troublesome individual’s history with the company, talking with his or her immediate supervisor, and documenting aggressive behavior. Then, because Gorkin knows that most companies don’t have a counselor on staff, he urges, "Get outside help."

And where would employers find such help? From their employee assistance program (EAP) providers. Remember, he advises, EAPs are not just for employees with personal problems like financial difficulties, grief, or substance abuse. They are also for supervisors and managers who need help to intervene with a troubled worker or team.

What kind of help? Gorkin described how he addressed problems caused by a hostile employee and his supervisor, who had given up trying to quell the hostility. Nor was the problem confined to the man and his boss; the organization had recently reorganized, and the supervisor felt he had gotten no top management support in his efforts. A new division leader asked for Gorkin’s help. The Stress Doc first convened the problem employee, his supervisor, and the rest of the team, encouraging team members first to discuss their reactions to the boss’s abdication of responsibility. When that safer topic had been explored, the group could move on with more courage to tell the hostile employee how his behavior affected them. After that meeting, the team was on the road to recovery. But it would be tough for any insider to facilitate such a session effectively.

Pave the way for your EAP. We all probably know the supervisory guidelines about approaching a disruptive or unproductive employee: Track the person’s behavior changes; document and quantify poor performance; talk with the employee about the problems, avoiding accusations or assumptions about why he or she has changed; ask if there’s anything the company can do to help the employee improve; and hope that the individual volunteers information about what’s bothering him or her. When employees do open up, offering the help of an EAP counselor is easy. But too often, employees are defensive and/or too embarrassed to be candid about needing help.

Another social worker, Jim Rascati of Behavioral Health Consultants in Hamden, Connecticut, tackled that problem in a recent talk to a local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. To see what services this group offers client employers beyond traditional individual counseling, visit http://www.bhcservices.com. Here are recommendations offered by Rascati and other meeting attendees:

• Urge supervisors to encourage subordinates to make specific, tangible requests about workloads and other needs. Employees who can "own" their problems and freely seek solutions are less stressed than those who feel helpless.
• Train your managers thoroughly in all the different kinds of services available from your EAP. Train them, as well, to keep an eye on subordinates for notable changes in their behavior that could signal problems.
• Ask your EAP to offer occasional "lunch and learn"-type sessions at your facilities, to talk about their services.
• By sending occasional mailings to employees’ homes, remind them that EAP help is also available to their dependents and immediate families.