Aging parents or relatives may need help because of declining health or lack of financial resources, and it's often difficult to decide what to do. An employee can suffer from immense feelings of guilt when it is time to make long-term care decisions for a loved one. Alcoholism and drug abuse are major problems affecting job performance. They are progressive illnesses, but they are treatable. They can be fatal if not treated.
Depression can manifest itself in various ways.
Without treatment, symptoms can last for months, years or a lifetime. In the workplace, depression can cause decreased productivity, morale problems, absenteeism, frequent complaints of being tired, and chronic, unexplained aches and pains. The problems highlighted above are common, but not the only problems that can affect job performance. Personal tragedy, family illness or a myriad of other problems can be the cause of substandard performance from an employee. Supervisors can best begin to manage a performance problem by being aware of problematic behavior early.