discussion

As the field of psychology and other disciplines has continued to expand, opportunities to engage in multiple professional activities have also increased. At the same time, this abundance of opportunities also presents ongoing challenges requiring an understanding of personal limits. To rise above these challenges, we as professionals need to understand their limits and apply this understanding to professional situations that we encounter. How would you make a referral and what you would say to your client?

Several years ago, I managed a retail store. I had a great team and enjoyed the overall fast pace and lively environment. Although team morale was high, there were some scenarios that I knew were beyond my scope as a sales manager. In one scenario, there was a member of the team that was under-performing in their job after a death of a family member. Although I wanted to help this employee myself, the grieving process is deeply personal, and I am not medically qualified to give mental health advice. If I had given this employee mental health advice, I would have been putting myself and the company in an unethical position. With all the best intentions, I could have unknowingly given the employee bad advice that resulted in more harm than good. Additionally, I would be potentially putting the company in a bad position given my supervisor level and authority over the employee. Leaders must be self-aware of the power and authority they carry and how that might impact their employee’s perspective and opinion of their ethical behavior (Ting & Scisco, 2006).

Upon consulting the company ethics code and with an HR consultant I knew the best thing to do was refer the employee to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP is a 24/7 call center for employees that offers a variety of resources in moments of crisis (What is EAP, 2020). EAP not only offered grief counseling, but also resources like childcare, financial counseling, marriage counseling, and retirement planning. These resources are of course facilitated by qualified professionals that are experienced in their field. All these resources are also offered through company insurance to ensure the employee will not be under additional financial stress (What is EAP, 2020). My peers have also used and referred employees to the EAP program for other scenarios that they were not qualified to handle given their position of authority and personal nature.