The addicted Manager’s (or agent) work and family life can be seriously affected. The addicted person can feel helpless, frustrated, ashamed, guilty, and hopeless and be unwilling, perhaps unable, to address the health issues squarely. Also, most managers spend their time dealing with other people’s problems and they often do not want to seek help because after all “they are the helper”. It is a natural part of the disease to deny having it and lawyers are brilliant rationalizers and excuse makers.
It is often difficult to identify an impaired Managing Broker, Realtor, Property Manager, or staff member because of his/her efforts to conceal the problem. A Manager is often strongly attached to having clients and fellow agents believe that she/he is a competent practitioner and so does everything possible to prevent others from knowing he/she has any kind of problem. The distressed person often becomes increasingly isolated as the problem progresses.
In order to be of assistance you do not need to diagnose the illness, you only have to look for signs based upon Attendance, Performance and Behaviour. If there are such problems, address them. The BC Realtor Wellbeing Program is available to help and advise you about what you can do and what to say. By helping to identify that there is a problem you can help pave the way for your colleague, employee, or family member to choose an effective treatment program.
Attendance
Comes to work late and/or leaves early on a regular basis
Frequently returns late or fails to return from lunch
Misses appointments and scheduled meetings
Frequently off work ill or unexplained absences, especially around weekends or holidays
Performance
Procrastinates, misses deadlines
Fails to return phone calls or correspondence
Decrease in number of hours worked and/or billed over time
Overreacts to criticism; blames others
Performance declines throughout the day
Erratic and variable performance or a noticeable deterioration of performance over time
Errors in judgment, memory lapses, confused thinking
Clients complain about performance/accessibility/communication
Sloppiness with clients’ contracts
Lack of organization, failure to complete necessary records
Appears under the influence and/or smells of alcohol in the office
Behaviour
Unable to get along with or withdraws from fellow agents and other staff
Deterioration of personal appearance and/or hygiene
Inappropriate behaviour at professional gatherings
Lies, is dishonest or misleads others
Finances in disarray, credit problems, tax problems, disorganization
Persistent health problems that are not accurately diagnosed or treated
High risk situations
Marriage or relationship breakdown
Loss of a job or contracts
Complaining of stress or overwork, looking “stressed” or frazzled
Death and grieving
BCFSA problems
Disciplinary Problems with the Board
Financial difficulties