Employee Growth and Argued With Legal Ethical Implications

¶ … DIETETIC Management PRACTICES:" Employee Growth

Jon Jacobs, thirty four, works as a clinical dietician providing nutritional services for patients at Aspen Grove nursing care facility. Among his job functions include consulting with physicians and health care professionals to coordinate medical and nutritional needs of at risk patients.

Jon is interested in specializing his education so that he can focus on working with patients who are overweight and obsess, as he has noticed a trend lately that more and more patients are becoming obese as they age.

In order to specialize in this area however, Jon will need additional training. He is aware that the job outlook for nutritionists is very good and is considering moving to another care facility across town once he completes his education. The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Statistics report that the outlook for dieticians and nutritionists, whose functions include prevention and treatment of illness by promoting healthy eating habits, is strong, growing at a faster than average rate (BLS, 2004).

Jon wanted to take advantage of a tuition reimbursement program at the facility he worked at in order to pay for his training. The tuition reimbursement program was designed as part of an overall employee growth policy aimed at encouraging employee's to advance their careers.

However, upon applying for additional financial assistance, Jon's application was turned down. His manager did not want to sign away for financial assistance because he new that Jon might be leaving and taking his education elsewhere in the near future. Though his supervisor acknowledged the importance of employee growth, he was hesitant to sign away what he considered to be a contract that guaranteed that Jon would not stay on with the clinic after pursuing his educational endeavors.

Values and Principles

At this time there is nothing in the nursing care facilities policies that obligate employees to stay on with the facility for a certain length of time after competing their education, whether or not they received tuition assistance. Because of this Jon argues that it is discriminatory for his supervisor not to sign his tuition assistance papers. His supervisor however is arguing that the company is currently looking at adding a two-year requirement that all employees who receive tuition assistance must stay on with the clinic for at least two years post education. However, since Jon requested assistance before this policy was formally instituted, he should be granted assistance regardless.

Options

The supervisor should grant Jon his tuition assistance request; because the classes that Jon will be taking can benefit the current patients he is working with. In addition there is nothing in the corporate policy that would prevent Jon from moving on if he chose to after completing the classes. This is not Jon's fault, but rather an oversight of the administration that developed the tuition assistance plan to begin with. Since Jon's initial application for assistance was completed prior to any changes in the plan, ultimately from a legal perspective his employer is obligated to fulfill it.

Reflections

If the clinic was truly interested keeping Jon on board, they would encourage his employee growth and find a way to keep him on staff after he competes his education. They could for example change his position or open up a new avenue where he could specialize in weight management and training classes for elderly patients at the clinic. This will allow Jon the growth opportunities he is seeking without sacrificing him to another clinic. According to information from the U.S. BLS, there is adequate evidence to suggest that should Jon leave, he will be afforded many opportunities by other care facilities looking for qualified physicians. Because of this it is in the best interested of his current facility to work with Jon to develop a plan for career growth and personal development, so that if at all possible Jon might be encouraged to stay on with the clinic rather than pursue opportunities elsewhere. Jon is correct in assuming that it is discriminatory for the company to prevent him from moving seeking tuition assistance simply on the basis that they are concerned that he might not stay on with the company after he completes his education.

Resolve

Jon's supervisor should sign his paperwork and encourage him to learn as much as possible about the specialty field he is seeking additional training in. His experiences and education will benefit the clinic as a whole, and help him grow as an employee. Once Jon sees that the clinic he is working for is committed to his overall growth and development, he may be more eager to stay on with the company for a period of time after he completes his training.