Workplace Ethics and Support

This document discusses workplace ethics and support, including how to monitor and assist colleagues with stress or emotional issues, practices that acknowledge and accept differences, and conducting debriefing after a critical incident. It also provides insights on identifying professional and personal performance standards, seeking performance feedback, and planning to support areas of need within the organization.

WORKPLACE ETHICS AND SUPPORT
Workplace Ethics and Support
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Use the resources provided to help you answer the following questions:
Question 1
As a community worker, you will be responsible for monitoring the welfare and well-being of
your clients, but also yourself and your colleagues, this question concentrates on how you are
able to assist your colleagues with work place issues as they arise.
Answering the questions below, how can you monitor and assist your colleagues with stress or
emotional issues?
How would you use practices that acknowledge and accept differences and accurately identify
diverse needs of colleagues?
Working with people from different environment and diverse background can be
challenging as the norms and rules of acceptable behaviour differs from one community to
the other1. While working with colleagues from diverse backgrounds understanding and
patience is a necessity. The other workers might want to things in a different way, those
methods or practices should not be considered wrong, it has to be understood that
everybody does not work in the same way and differences have to accepted sooner than
later. If language is a barrier, and they have problems in interacting with clients then one of
the other workers can be asked to help them. There differences should not be ridiculed but
accepted and proper help should be given to them. Diversity has to be effectively handled,
the entire worker should be made to feel included, supported, their opinions and ideas
1 Chrobot-Mason, D. and Aramovich, N.P.,. The psychological benefits of creating an affirming
climate for workplace diversity. Group & Organization Management, 38(6), pp.659-689.v2013

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should be taken into consideration.
How would you identify required professional and personal performance standards and use to
monitor stress and emotional wellbeing?
Stress and tension is common in any workplace. Sometimes, the stress at workplace
becomes unmanageable and it starts to affect the performance of the workers. It is very
important to manage stress before it has a negative impact on the mental health of the
worker. While working with a colleague who has problems dealing with stress, there are
certain indicators that should be kept in mind2. If the person is experiencing fatigue during
work hours and is not being able deliver what is expected of him/her then a possible reason
behind the constant fatigue could be underlying stress. The worker who is dealing with
stress can complain about headaches and dizziness; stress can also affect the eating habits
of the individual. The person might want to stay isolated and not talk to anyone or miss
work frequently; these could also imply that the person is dealing with stress. These are the
possible indicators, they have to be timely managed otherwise it might lead to physical
problems like cardiovascular disorders3. There are ways to deal with stress; it should not be
left untreated. If it is detected at an early stage then the co-workers can design methods to
help the person such as reducing the workload, talking about their problems, assigning
2 Moore, P. and Piwek, L.,. Regulating wellbeing in the brave new quantified
workplace. Employee Relations, 39(3), pp.308-316. 2017
3 Oken, B.S., Chamine, I. and Wakeland, W.,. A systems approach to stress, stressors and
resilience in humans. Behavioural brain research, 282, pp.144-154. 2015

3WORKPLACE ETHICS AND SUPPORT
other workers to help them and give them smaller and easier goals that can be achieved
without putting in a lot of effort.
Your ability to use self-assessment and reflective behaviour strategies to monitor performance:
Self-assessment helps to understand the areas in the worker are lacking and the areas
which he/she is performing well. It gives the workers a continuous evaluation and is a
necessary tool in improving performance. There are our steps in self-assessment, first is
assessing the areas of work, secondly planning the work according to importance, acting on
the plan that has being designed and finally checking for improvements4.Five questions
have to be answered while doing self-assessment, firstly what is the goal that the work is
trying to accomplish, the reason behind doing the work, the process that is being used to do
the work, forth by implementing the process, is the work getting done and finally is there
any scope for improvement 5
How would you seek formal and informal performance feedback and act upon it as appropriate?
The purpose of collecting formal and informal feedback is to regulate the errors and
shortcomings of the organizations6. There are few ways in which formal feedbacks can be
4 https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf, 'Assess
Yourself- Using Self Assessment For Performance Improvement' (Audit-scotland.gov.uk, 2019)
<https://https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf/
docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf> accessed 30 May 2019.
5 https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf, 'Assess
Yourself- Using Self Assessment For Performance Improvement' (Audit-scotland.gov.uk, 2019)
<https://https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf/
docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf> accessed 30 May 2019.

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taken from a worker. One on one meeting could be conducted with employees to
understand their problems and complains about the workplace. There could be group
meetings. Reports of tasks could be collected weekly or bi-weekly7. These are the few
ways to collect formal feedback. Informal feedbacks can also be collected from the
employees. Employees could take to each other during breaks and lunches, visit each
other’s desk and talk about the positives and negatives of work. Both formal and informal
feedback helps the organization to function properly, improve upon their mistakes and help
create a better workplace for their employees.
How would you plan appropriately to identify current and potential areas of need within
organisation and develop proposals to support these areas?
The first in understanding the problem area of the company is to identify the exact
problem; the area which needs to be improved has to be located. The second step is to
analyse and assess the problem. Analysing the depth of the problem, the amount of time it
has persisted in the company and the gap that exists between what is to be achieved and
currently what is being achieved. The next step is talking to the employees about the
problem area, educating them about it, telling them the ways to improve it and how it is
affecting the work. The details of the problems have to clarified, then finally the problem
6 Pitkänen, H.,. Theorizing formal and informal feedback practices in management accounting
through three dimensions. 2013
7 Pitkänen, H.,. Theorizing formal and informal feedback practices in management accounting
through three dimensions. 2013

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should be discussed by the employees and jointly a solution has to be devised on how to
improve the problem area8. The proper way to deal with the areas of problem on the
workplace is to keep the employees motivated so that they put in the extra effort that is
needed. If the required new training has to be imparted to the employees so that they are
better equipped to deal with the problems9.
Question 2
Scenario
An incident has taken place at work where a client with mental health issues has come in,
physically assaulted one of your colleagues and threatened other staff and clients around them.
Your colleague has been admitted to hospital in a stable condition, but at this stage no one is sure
how they are. The client has been detained by police and everyone is very shaken by the
incident.
8 www.fairwork.gov.au. Welcome to the Fair Work Ombudsman website. [online] Fair Work
Ombudsman. Available at: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-
guides/best-practice-guides/managing-underperformance(2019).
9 www.fairwork.gov.au Welcome to the Fair Work Ombudsman website. [online] Fair Work
Ombudsman. Available at: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-
guides/best-practice-guides/managing-underperformance(2019).

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You are to organize a debriefing for the staff that is affected by the indent. Answer the following
questions in detail about how this is to be achieved.
Explain how you would plan, prepare and conduct debriefing in line with organisation standards
and procedures:
A psychoeducational process of group intervention is conducted every time any
group of people goes through a traumatising event, this process is known as critical
incident stress debriefing (CISD)10. They brief should contain information about the
employee as well as the client is doing and the steps that will be taken to bring the situation
back to normal and also about the procedures that has to be done with the law enforcement.
The brief should be prepared in consultation with some of the employees who knows the
details of the event. The employees should be told about the process that will be take place
from the day after. A possible return date of the injured employee should also be given
during the debriefing. The brief should not focus on the incident but on the psychological
implications of the incident. It should focus on the mental well-being of the workers.
How soon would the schedule debriefing be, following the incident?
After the critical incident has happened, the workers need to be debriefed so that
they cope with the situation in a better manner. The debriefing should be done three to
seven after the incident, immediately after the event the debrief should not be done, the
10 Pender, D.A. and Anderton, C., Exploring the process: A narrative analysis of group
facilitators’ reports on critical incident stress debriefing. The Journal for Specialists in Group
Work, 41(1), pp.19-43. 2016.

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workers need to wait for the situation to cool down; they need for everyone to deal with the
initial crisis then talk to everyone11. Demobilisation is essential after a critical incident, the
works need to rest and take some time out, often these incidents lead to some
psychological and physical problems among the workers so the initial response should be
to be let everyone be12. After demobilising, the workers should be debriefed.
How could you make sure you conduct the debriefing in a safe environment and in a manner that
facilitates open discussion?
The debriefing in done few days after the incident has occurred. They employees
might not feel safe at the office since the last time they were there someone attacked one of
their peers so the place to do it could be at lunch time in the canteen or inside cabin, where
the incident has not happened. This would help the workers feel safe. The tone of the brief
should not be very formal, it should be like a conversation and enough space should be
given to the workers to ask any type of question they wish to. The group that is being
debriefed has to be kept engaged with the conversation. The workers should not continue
to feel threatened in their own office even after being briefed.
What debriefing techniques could you use to encourage further exploration of emotions?
11 www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au. Workplace safety - coping with a critical incident.
[online]Betterhealth.vic.gov.au.Availableat:https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/
healthyliving/workplace-safety-coping-with-a-critical-incident(2019).
12 www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au.Workplace safety - coping with a critical incident.
[online]Betterhealth.vic.gov.au.Availableat:https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/
healthyliving/workplace-safety-coping-with-a-critical-incident.(2019).

8WORKPLACE ETHICS AND SUPPORT
The debriefing is an essential step after every critical incident. The technique of
debriefing is control, this mean that the staff should be given enough time, then talk about
the positives of the situation even if it is hard to find13. The person who is debriefing should
be clear about the whole incident, they should the incident and the follow-up reports of the
incidents. During the debriefing every employee should be asked about their observation of
the event. Their views on why this incident occurred and if anyone blames themselves for
not taking any action about the event. It should not focus on what happened and talk about
the traumatic event but should focus on what can be done further in the future.
How you would you use appropriate questioning to encourage colleagues to explore and
acknowledge their concerns?
During the debrief, the employees should be able to ask question. If the place that the
workers are assimilated is comfortable enough for them to ask questions. The tone of the
brief should be informal and the debrief should not be a one way conversation. The
workers should be asked whether they want to add something about the experience or talk
about how they felt during the experience. The workers should be allowed to ask questions
about the victim or the attacker. There should not be any restrictions imposed during the
debrief.
What are the indicators of risk to self or others and how would you respond according to the
degree and nature of the risk?
13 Krogh, K., Bearman, M. and Nestel, D., “Thinking on your feet”—a qualitative study of
debriefing practice. Advances in Simulation, 1(1), p.12. 2016.

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After a traumatic event, the workers might feel threatened or insecure, some might
respond to the event by harming themselves or displaying behaviour of self-harm. This
harm may not be suicidal tendencies; a person could harm himself or herself by drinking
too much or resorting to drug and substance abuse14. If these tendencies are noticed in a
worker, help should immediately be given to them. An intervention should be held and
they should be encouraged to rehabilitate properly. If a person develops suicidal tendencies
in any way, they should be taken to a facility and rehabilitated. The markers should be
properly recognised and treated accordingly.
How would you document and report outcomes of the debriefing in accordance with
organization standards and procedures?
After concluding the debriefing, it has to be properly documented. The
documentation should only be done when the person debriefing has the entire knowledge
of the situation. The documentation is an important part of the company procedure.
Everything that was said and discussed during the debriefing should be mentioned in detail
including the questions that was asked by the employee. The employees should remember
that the event that occurred had different impact on every individual. During the
documentation, the reaction of every individual has to be mentioned, because if any one
falls sick afterwards or goes through some mental health issues, the document has to reflect
that this person had indicators and now needs help. A very detailed document has to be
14 Qi, Wei, Martin Gevonden, and Arieh Shalev. "Prevention of post-traumatic stress
disorder after trauma: Current evidence and future directions." Current Psychiatry
Reports 18.2 (2016): 20.

10WORKPLACE ETHICS AND SUPPORT
given to the organization.
How could you identify and respond to colleagues needing additional support and refer in
accordance with organisation guidelines?
After the traumatic incident, the workers who need additional attention should be
given the care that he/she needs. If the organization fails to provide them support it will
affect the productivity of the person and in the long term affect the person’s mental health.
The organizations can the employee by providing therapy options and rehabilitation in a
proper place15. The organization should not criticise the person for what he/she is going
through rather be supportive and them deal with the situation. Being playful and trying to
get past the trauma in their own pace is the best way to deal with stress16.
15 Eddington, Kari M. "Perfectionism, goal adjustment, and self-regulation: A short-term follow-
up study of distress and coping." Self and Identity 13.2 (2014): 197-213.
16 Magnuson, Cale D., and Lynn A. Barnett. "The playful advantage: How playfulness enhances
coping with stress." Leisure Sciences 35.2 (2013): 129-144.

11WORKPLACE ETHICS AND SUPPORT
Bibliography
Chrobot-Mason, D. and Aramovich, N.P., 2013. The psychological benefits of creating an
affirming climate for workplace diversity. Group & Organization Management, 38(6), pp.659-
689.v
https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf
(2019). Assess yourself- Using Self-Assessment for Performance Improvement. [online] Audit-
scotland.gov.uk.Availableat:https://https://www.auditscotland.gov.uk/docs/local/pre1999/
nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf/docs/local/pre1999/nr_980501_assess_yourself.pdf [Accessed
30 May 2019].
Moore, P. and Piwek, L., 2017. Regulating wellbeing in the brave new quantified
workplace. Employee Relations, 39(3), pp.308-316.
Oken, B.S., Chamine, I. and Wakeland, W., 2015. A systems approach to stress, stressors and
resilience in humans. Behavioural brain research, 282, pp.144-154.
Pender, D.A. and Anderton, C., 2016. Exploring the process: A narrative analysis of group
facilitators’ reports on critical incident stress debriefing. The Journal for Specialists in Group
Work, 41(1), pp.19-43.
Pitkänen, H., 2013. Theorizing formal and informal feedback practices in management
accounting through three dimensions.
Qi, Wei, Martin Gevonden, and Arieh Shalev. "Prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder after
trauma: Current evidence and future directions." Current Psychiatry Reports 18.2 (2016): 20.

12WORKPLACE ETHICS AND SUPPORT
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https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/work-stress [Accessed 30 May 2019].
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[online]Betterhealth.vic.gov.au.Availableat:https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/
healthyliving/workplace-safety-coping-with-a-critical-incident [Accessed 30 May 2019].
www.fairwork.gov.au (2019). Welcome to the Fair Work Ombudsman website. [online] Fair
Work Ombudsman. Available at: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-
guides/best-practice-guides/managing-underperformance [Accessed 30 May 2019].
Eddington, Kari M. "Perfectionism, goal adjustment, and self-regulation: A short-term follow-up
study of distress and coping." Self and Identity 13.2 (2014): 197-213.
Magnuson, Cale D., and Lynn A. Barnett. "The playful advantage: How playfulness enhances
coping with stress." Leisure Sciences 35.2 (2013): 129-144.