I recently chatted with a colleague, Jason, an HR director at a mid-sized pharma company. He shared his latest employee horror story: An office hoarder.
A valued employee, the hoarder has been there for many years and has quite a bit of knowledge with regards to her job. However, she is more than simply disorganized; her behaviors are similar to those seen on the popular hoarding reality TV shows. And people are complaining. She removes old brochures from other peoples’ trash once they’ve left the office, she seems emotionally attached to items such as her stapler and scissors, and her office is brimming with used food and drink containers.
Co-workers are disgusted with the mess, bugs, odor and the potentially dangerous conditions associated with the piles of paper and rubbish that have crept from her office, into the hallway. The department members are venting their frustrations to HR, feeling that supervisors are ignoring the problem and passing on the extra work to those who seem more organized.
HR feels the employee’s behavior has become a distraction and needs help “cleaning up” the problem. How should this delicate situation be handled? It’s not so simple…
Hoarding has been newly classified in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the first updated edition in nearly 20 years. This book is used by medical professionals to diagnose/classify mental disorders. Clearly, managing hoarders is a delicate issue and, if not handled correctly, could have serious repercussions.
Although ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) does not regulate this disorder, Jason is wondering if it is just a matter of time until it is recognized as a disability. Should his organization proactively recognize the problem and provide some form of accommodations to the employee. Or should she be fired? Firing her, he feels, is the wrong move. He wants to avoid the possibility of a future lawsuit and is concerned about harming the corporate brand.
My opinion: Organizations must recognize their financial tolerance threshold while working with the employee to overcome this and other difficulties. After all, psychologist David Tolin, Ph.D., writes on WebMD that approximately “2% to 5% of Americans may meet the criteria for being hoarders.”
With this in mind, here are 4 ways to help a hoarders work through their disorder while maintaining focus on your business and its goals.
1) OFFER RESOURCES: According to ESI Employee Assistance Group, “If you suspect that hoarding could be an issue for one of your employees, remember – it’s not your role to diagnose. When a personal issue spills into the workplace and impedes performance, the appropriate response is to focus on the performance and to offer resources to the employee to get help for any personal issues that impede performance. “ Do not attempt to simply swoop in with garbage bags or dumpsters. Hoarding is a delicate psychological condition.
2) DOCUMENT: Keep detailed records of every conversation and send correspondences to the employee outlining the conversations, expectations, etc.
3) ACCOMMODATE: If there is a diagnosis, provide professional/ educational/therapeutic intervention at whatever level possible. (If you can offer an organizational program to your entire staff, all the better!) Katie Valentino, LCPC, suggests, “Your EAP can help employees:
- Sort and identify their clutter
- Identify unhealthy coping behaviors and learn healthy alternatives
- Learn to focus on the moment to prevent clutter from becoming overwhelming.”
Additional storage cabinets and organizational aids might be provided, as well. And certainly, a paperless workplace would be a great advantage in this scenario.
4) OUTLINE REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS: Let the employee know that the ultimate goal of the firm’s support and assistance is to elevate/restore productivity levels and to maintain a healthy, safe office. Outline acceptable environmental guidelines for their work space. Here are four of the many possible expectations that may be documented: (1) remove trash daily, (2) clear floor and desks (in fact, many finance firms instate this policy because of confidentiality issues), (3) follow fire code guidelines, and (4) adhere to health code details. Also, be sure all environmental expectations are clearly stated in the company’s policies and procedures.
According to Matt Paxton, whose company Clutter Cleaner is featured on the TV show Hoarders, “(They) are not always old cat ladies…(most) are brilliant.” He adds, “Often they’re very well-educated people … It’s that really high-end hoarder in the office I worry about.” Since hoarding can affect employees at every level of your organization, it’s not a bad idea to have a plan in place for this possible eventuality.
Have you ever dealt with hoarders in the work force? And if so, how was the situation resolved? And was the employee able to overcome these personal challenges with support? Please share any information you have on this subject. Thanks!
NOTE: The views expressed here are opinions based on experience and research; they should not be considered legal advice, simply food for thought.
I have one. Her car looks like a trash heap. I told her quite frankly that I expect a clean l, uncluttered area. The problem is she IS a valued employee. But her reasons for keeping things are outrageous.
“I am saving this piece of paper to use at my house for scratch sheet” no- you are throwing it away. “I printed this out because I could not find it on the file server last time I looked”. No- you will find it on the server and look for it next time.
It drives me insane but I am more hard headed than she.
So since she will be my HR person soon (decision not made by me) I told her in no uncertain terms that filing guidelines that will be adhered to.
I don’t know what else to do.
Ours is the department head. I’m currently tasked with the job of helping her sort. We can’t throw anything away. Ugh is so frustrating. But thankfully there is no food, just paper. So much paper, stacked so high in her office. Basically, we are moving slow, little bits at a time and creating a filing system for her. Once she knows where things are, she might be more inclined to let go of some older stuff. But this is quite right, she has a number of advanced degrees. Just have to be patient
Ours is also a department head. The state of her office, which is clearly visible to the public and other staff, is demoralizing and a source of embarrassment for other staff. I recently spent two hours on a weekend cleaning and organizing her office while she was away on vacation. If the office goes back to the dumping ground it once was, I plan to move her to a more secluded office that no one else will be subjected to.