There are many qualities that help make someone a good team player. These include reliability, having good communication skills, being able to listen and share ideas, and being co-operative and flexible. Unfortunately, many of these qualities can be impaired by a brain injury.
This can make working in a team harder for the employee and also impacts on the colleagues they work with. You should talk openly with them so that you are aware of any difficulties and can take steps to make things easier for the employee.
Where they are in a senior position, the employee may be responsible for managing others. Their management and leadership style may have changed. There are, of course, many different management styles which people adopt. There are, however, some key characteristics that help make someone a good manager, which may be affected by a brain injury.
You should speak with the injured person about how those that they supervise may respond to their new style. As long as this doesn’t cause difficulty, this may be something that can be adapted to. However, training may be required and some skills may need to be relearned. It may be that they need to make a graduated return to their management position.
You, of course, also need to ensure that their management style does not cause any serious difficulty with the people in their team. The employee’s team members should be given training on the way that brain injuries can affect people, and you should make it clear that they can raise any concerns they have about any issues that arise with an appropriate manager.
When considering the needs of an employee with a brain injury and those that they manage in relation to promotion, it is important to take specialist advice on your legal obligations from an employment lawyer.