BPD and the Workplace
Mental health conditions can present differently in each of us. People may show symptoms differently and no two people are the same. As an employer, it is not your place to diagnose someone with a mental health condition – but it is your job to support and help your employees when they need it.
What is BPD?
BPD – also known as borderline personality disorder – usually covers four areas.
It typically comes across as emotional instability, distorted patterns of thinking, impulsive behaviour, and inconsistent relationships with others.
In the workplace, BPD can manifest in a person as:
Indecision: it may be that their goals, likes, dislikes, and career progression change often.
Unstable relationships: relationships with colleagues may be intense, all-or-nothing, and inconsistent. People may not know where they stand with someone suffering from BPD, this can create a difficult discourse in the workplace dynamic.
Binary thinking: sometimes people with BPD can catastrophise. They may do incredibly well one day and exceed expectations, and then on another struggle and feel as though they’ll be fired.
How to support someone with BPD
A mental health condition doesn’t mean that a person lacks the skills or the ability to do well in their job, but they may need support at times.
Have an open and clear discussion: try not to force an employee into this, but if they feel capable of talking about it then encourage it. By having an open discussion, then you can create clear boundaries that will help them avoid stressful situations and triggers.
Offer them personal time for medical issues: some days may be harder than others, so if they need a personal day then it’s best to accept that. Alternatively, perhaps they can work from home as a compromise? There may also be instances where they need time off to visit the doctor or therapist, understand that these meetings are fundamental to their health and are paramount to ensure they can continue doing their job.
Offer staff training on all mental health conditions: by training colleagues on all mental health conditions, they’ll be able to support the employee who is struggling whilst also not singling them out.
Ultimately, an employee with BPD is still the same employee that you hired. They are still capable and as hardworking as before, you just need to allow them the space to thrive in a healthy way. If you need any extra help with employee health in the workplace, explore the OH One website.
