These case studies may help to demonstrate how a personalised development programme and personalised group training might work in practice. Both cases are fictitious and any resemblance to actual individuals or situations is coincidental.

Example One

Several months ago Susan had let her manager know that her mother, with whom she lived, was dying of cancer. Susan, as an only child, had used all of her leave entitlement to take her mother to various appointments and took a number of unpaid leave days to support her mother. When her mother died she was given compassionate leave and then was off sick for several more weeks with stress and grief.

When Susan returned to work she was sharp with colleagues and clients and was losing her temper often and was on the verge of physical, violent actions a number of times. She was absent minded, making mistakes in her work, increasing the workload for her colleagues. When her manager spoke to her she told him she was not managing well without her mother and was feeling suicidal. She felt that remaining at work was the only thing which was helping her to stay sane and alive and she didn’t want to go off sick if at all possible. She understood that she was making life very difficult for her colleagues and that her work was below standard.

Her manager was concerned about Susan’s welfare, but was also anxious about the role and responsibility the organisation and individual managers might have in the event of Susan harming either herself or one of her colleagues. He was aware that her level of errors was not acceptable and that the team could not carry on in this state. Some of her work colleagues were anxious about how they should communicate with Susan while she was feeling so fragile.

The Baobab Centre could offer support services to Susan, her manager and the team, whichever was considered appropriate. Services offered might include:

Counselling for Susan including:
      
Bereavement
Anger management
Stress management
Understanding suicidal thinking

Personal Development Programme for Susan’s manager covering:

Roles and responsibilities and power dynamics
Understanding suicidal thinking and how to manage a suicidal   employee
Person-centred listening skills and solution-focused communication skills

Personalised training in a small group for work colleagues covering:

Person-centred listening skills and solution-focused communication skills.
Assertiveness training

These support services could be offered in individual sessions or half- day or whole-day sessions as agreed.

Example Two

Bob was conscientious and sociable, and put in extra hours to support his company and colleagues. After a short time he was promoted, and soon after he divulged that he was experiencing extreme personal problems. The company reduced his workload but Bob started taking more and more time off work. When this was addressed with him, he signed off sick with stress.

During his time off, Bob informed his employer that he was a compulsive gambler.

Bob was off work for several months. His team became disgruntled by his absence and some complained about having to cover his work when he wasn’t exactly ill.

When he returned, the company offered a programme of a reduced workload and lighter responsibility to ease Bob back into his job. This was standard practice for employees who had been on long-term sick. Bob took offence and signed off sick again, putting in a grievance, claiming the programme was discriminatory and was because the organisation now knew of his gambling problem.

What could The Baobab Centre provide in this situation?