Illness in the Work Place – a Leadership Crisis

Organizations can't possibly be prepared when a key contributor becomes ill, yet the other leaders within that organization must quickly move to help the individual and to optimize the productivity and morale of the workforce.

Vital Health Partners works through organizations to support all those affected when a medical crisis arises. We are a resource for the employee facing the illness and for the managers and their teams. We work with all those affected to sustain work place performance and morale at a time when communication, workflow, and team cohesiveness may be disrupted.

When chronic needs turn an employee's attention away from work to home and family, VHP offers support to that employee and his/her family. We support staff that are ill themselves, and those who are caring for a close family member who is ill.

At times of medical crisis, VHP helps you to ensure that workplace performance continues to meet your standards in the following ways:

• We work with management to decide how to balance caring for the affected employee with the needs of other members of the team in order to sustain productivity.
  
  
• We educate leaders and managers in the special skills needed to address the management, performance and communication issues that arise around the affected employee at such times.
  
  
• We support the affected team or department by helping them to surface their unspoken concerns and educating them on expectations, actions and communications that will positively impact the situation.
  
  
• We focus on creating environments where communication stays in the open, and destructive side conversations don't develop.
  
  
• We coach leaders, not only in handling a medical crisis when it happens, but also in planning ahead for the eventuality by becoming more creative, innovative and flexible.
  
  

Through coaching, consulting and workshops, we can help individuals and teams identify and address these key issues.

For all parties, VHP acts as an informational resource (Note: we do not provide medical referral services).

"A Manager's Guide to Handling Illness in the Workplace -- What to do when someone you work with is diagnosed with a serious illness" by Jane Guyton. Published in the Novemeber 2002 issue of Executive Update.

For examples of illnesses challenging large organizations, click here.