Category: Articles

Manager: ‘How can I tell this awful story?

Shock and Pain 

When the manager arrived at the worksite on Monday morning some employees had already heard that Wendy ( a pseudonym)had taken her own life the evening before. The news spread like wildfire and so did the gossip. Her cubicle spontaneously became a shrine and centre of grieving for her colleagues:  recent photograph, flowers, rosary beads,

The department was caving in with grief. The manager was asking herself, “How can I tell this awful story?” The soul-searching questions were uttered openly, such as: ‘How could she take her own life?’ ‘Why didn’t she reach out to us?’ “Were there signs that we missed that we neglected to pay attention to?’

In an instance like this the presence of structure and leadership is needed.  If left alone the dark hole becomes an abyss. The EAP responsibility is to move quickly to support supervisors and managers so they begin to have their own needs met for comfort and nurturance, and be better able to reach out to support their workers.

 

Consulting with the EAP:

A good communication plan should offer facts to eliminate gossip, and describe what steps the company is taking to comfort the family. It might also include announcements of a Debriefing session, a memorial service, where to send cards and flowers to the family. Frequent and timely communication is paramount.

Resuming normal business operations is a tricky and delicate issue. It must be done in such a way as to honour the loss of the deceased and allow co-workers time to grieve, while striking a balance for meeting the needs of  the business. Nothing can sour a workforce and lose goodwill faster than the words from management, ‘it’s back to business as usual’ shortly after a death, as if nothing had happened.

An intervention like this is applicable for other traumatic loss in the workplace. However, it is important for the manager to understand and anticipate a range of emotional responses.

 

Further Assistance

For further information and support please call 622-6594 your EAP Provider, Elder Associates Limited. In addition you can download an online booklet entitled:

“A Managers Guide to Suicide Postvention in the Workplace: 10 Action Steps for Dealing with the Aftermath of a Suicide.” (http://bit.ly/mgrsui) Also, a two page fact sheet:

“Recovery in the Aftermath of Workplace Violence: Guidance for Supervisors.” (http://bit.ly/afterviolence)

 

 

 

Do front desk clerks need to be ethical? Shouldn’t they leave the ethical behaviour to the trained professional? After all, a receptionist’s job is just to greet and welcome clients, isn’t it?

Front desk clerks anywhere are required to perform more than a simple smile and greeting. While welcoming clients and making them feel at ease is fundamentally important, front line staff are the initial contact with clients, the face of the company and consequently ethical principles cannot be taken for granted.

Ethics are moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour. How does this apply to a front desk clerk? Most clerks are required to greet clients, receive and deliver information that may be of a confidential nature. Front desk clerks come into contact with clients before the professional and clients may divulge their personal issues to them. Being confidential with all information then becomes an important element among the front desk clerk’s behaviour.

In some companies, apart from the professionals, front desk staff may be required to sign Confidentiality Agreement. Why is this necessary? It is essential because clients need to be assured that information that front desk staff may be privy to is treated with absolute confidentiality. Clients also need to be guaranteed that when they have an appointment it remains private and newspaper reporters cannot have access to their information.  Ethical principles must be part of a front desk clerk’s job performance that is regularly appraised.

So the answer is clear, yes a front desk clerk needs to be ethical; in fact the onus is not only on the professional but everyone else in the company. By the way, everyone is expected to deliver professional and ethical behaviour, not only professionals.

 

CLIENTS’ RIGHTS: It is EAL’s policy to protect the rights of clients.  Each client receiving EAP services have the following rights:

• The right to be treated with respect for personal dignity, autonomy and privacy.
• The right to be informed of one’s own treatment plan and of the alternatives.
• The right to consent to or refuse any service.
• The right to a current, written, individualized treatment plan that addresses the presenting problem and   specifies the provision of appropriate and adequate services available by the Organization or through referral to a specialist.
• The right to informed participation in the review of the treatment plan.
• The right to confidentiality of all communications and all personally identifying information within the limitations and requirements for disclosure where there is threat to life, where there is a signed release of information specifically authorized by the client or parent or legal guardian of a minor client or court appointed guardian of the client or  where required by law.
• The right to have access to one’s own records.
• The right to be informed in advance of the reason(s) for discontinuance of service provision and to be involved in planning for the consequences of that event.
• The right to receive an explanation of the reasons for denial of service.
• The right not to be discriminated against in the provision of service on the basis of race, ethnicity, skin colour, sex, religion, national origin, age or sexual orientation.
• The right to be fully informed to the basic expectations for use of the EAP service.
• The right to be informed of your rights.
• The right to file a grievance and to have oral written information for doing same.
• The right to know the qualifications of staff who provide the EAP services.

 

CLIENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY: Clients have the responsibility to:

• Give accurate information about their presenting problem, mental health, substance use, domestic violence    issues as well as other circumstances which might impact upon their care.
• Inform staff immediately if they have any concerns or problems with the service they are receiving.
• Keep your scheduled appointments and let us know as soon as possible if you cannot keep one.
• Between sessions, think through the concerns you are addressing in counselling.
• Follow through on treatment recommendations and complete your counselling homework assignments.
• We ask that you end your work with us in a termination session, rather than not keeping your appointment.  This way you can share and discuss with your counsellor what was useful and what could have been improved.
• If you feel that you might harm yourself or others, contact EAL immediately at 622-6594.

Source: EAL Clients’ Rights and Responsibilities; also Tufts University Counselling and Mental Health Service

 

Children as victims of crime slip through the crack of our protective care in more ways than one. When children are victimized, their normal physiological and psychological adjustment to life is disrupted. Furthermore, they must cope with the trauma of their victimization again and again in each succeeding developmental stage of life after the crime.

Child victims suffer not only physical and emotional traumas from their victimization. When their victimization is reported, children are forced to enter the stressful ‘adult’ world of the criminal justice system.

Here are some tips for parents, counsellors or teachers who find themselves having to provide a caring atmosphere for the child victim.

• Choose a secure, comfortable setting for chatting with child victims, or a location that is as comfortable as possible.
• Take time to establish trust and rapport.
• Realize that children tend to regress emotionally during times of stress, acting younger than their age.
• Encourage preschool children to play, as it is the common mode of communication for them. You may find that as children play, they become more relaxed and thus more talkative.
• Since young children often feel they may be blamed for problems, assure elementary school age children that they have not done anything wrong and they are not ‘in trouble.’
• Clearly and simply explain the purpose of the meeting.
• Maintain a non-judgemental attitude and empathise with victims. Because elementary school children are especially affected by praise, compliment them frequently on their behaviour and thank them for their help.
• Remember the limited attention span and be alert to signs that victims are feeling tired, restless or cranky. Consider conducting a series of short meetings.
• Show compassion to victims. Children’s natural ability to cope are aided immensely by caring adults.
• Do not forget to comfort the non-offending parents.

Source: First Response to Victims of Crime, US Dept of Justice, Washington DC, 2001