I think it always makes sense to keep your own immediate supervisor informed when you’re dealing with any of these situations, and to recognize when your agency’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) could be of assistance. For example, you could bounce ideas for dealing with a problem employee off an EAP counselor; such conversations are confidential and you would be talking with someone who has professional credentials but is not part of the agency. I can remember benefiting greatly from getting stress management counseling from the EAP when I felt overwhelmed as a supervisor, and using an EAP counselor to help improve the working relationship between a supervisor and an employee who could not seem to see eye to eye.