Lucy Case Study Recommendations to Future Employer

CASE STUDY: LUCY

Case Study: Lucy

Part 1

Recommendations for Securing Sustainable and Realistic Employment

In this first part of the discussion, the focus is on readying Lucy for employment and most importantly, helping her secure sustainable and secure employment. Towards this end, there would be need to take into consideration the various interventions or approaches that would be of benefit to Lucy. From the onset, it should be noted that the job market happens to be rather competitive. This is to say that for every available position, there are numerous candidates who show interest. It is from this pool of applicants that organizations source for the most capable candidate. This is more so the case given that the selection of the right candidate is crucial for the success of the organization. Indeed, as Simons (2011) points out, human resources happen to be some of the most crucial resources in an organization. This would be a crucial fact to keep in mind in efforts to secure sustainable and realistic employment for Lucy.

Present Scenario

Lucy’s abilities have definitely been limited as a consequence of the accident she suffered – resulting in frontal lobe head injury. The fact that testing revealed dysexecutive syndrome effectively means that her behavior would definitely be impacted – especially with regard to communication, thinking processes, judgment, as well as problem-solving. This essentially means that she might not be able to function in the same roles or positions of responsibilities that she served in before the accident. Owing to the fact that Lucy’s cognitive functioning has not been affected in any manner, she could still function in other roles. It should also be noted that unemployment in this case would make things worse for her. This is more so the case given that as Ettner and Grzwacz (2001) point out, unemployment has been associated with wastage of skills and capabilities, economic and social isolation, as well as decreased self-esteem. Unemployment could also result in the worsening of Lucy’s depression, for which she is receiving medication at present.

The Need for Counselling

Lucy is on medication for depression which she has been experiencing from the time she encountered the accident. As she points out, she is unaware of the ideal work setting she would fit in at present. Prior to the accident and subsequent injuries, she worked for a retail outlet and had ascended to middle management. Psychotherapy would be the most appropriate approach in seeking to resolve Lucy’s depression and ensure that her expectations match the reality. More specifically, the goal of psychotherapy in this case would be to ensure that the concerns contributing to Lucy’s depression are resolved. Psychotherapy, according to Gilbert (2007), has been found to be effective in facilitating depressed persons’ adaptation efforts following unexpected life changes. In what would come in handy in Lucy’s case, the author observes that psychotherapy is especially useful in efforts to enable clients to “adjust to a crisis or other current difficulty” (p. 117). Lucy is yet to adjust to the present realities – especially with regard to her limited abilities following the accident. This more so the case given that she still has hopes of securing a job position similar to her pre-accident position.

Job Analysis

In seeking to ensure that Lucy considers the most appropriate job opportunities, and focuses her job application efforts on positions she is suited for at present, job analysis would come in handy. In basic terms, job analysis has got to do with the description of jobs as well as the specific human attributes that would be required in the performance of the said jobs (Simons, 2001). In this case, there would be need to be aware of what specific jobs demand owing to the fact that at present, Lucy’s abilities are largely restricted (i.e. she does not possess the same abilities she possessed prior to the accident). This is more so the case given that the neuro-psychologist’s tests have revealed she could experience difficulties on the concentration as well as planning and organizational fronts (as a consequence of dysexecutive syndrome). There were also concerns raised about her short-term auditory memory following a memory test.

There are various ways of going about the task of guiding Lucy in her career selection process. One such approach would involve the conduction of KSAOs (knowledge, skills, abilities, and various other personal characteristics) – with the focus in this case being on the jobs that Lucy is interested in. On this front, the goal would be to ensure that Lucy only applies for those jobs for which she is suited, i.e. jobs that align with her KSAOs. This will be of great benefit during the selection and recruitment process as it would further promote her abilities to secure employment. It would be prudent to note that being competitive entities, organizations are ideally interested in bringing on board only those persons who can best perform the tasks associated with the vacant position. For this reason, the relevance of ensuring that Lucy’s KSAOs align with the positions she applies for cannot be overstated.

Testing

There are wide range of tests that could be deployed in this scenario in an attempt to assess Lucy’s KSAOs. The said tests could be inclusive of, but they are not limited to; personality tests and cognitive ability tests. In this case, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) would be deployed owing to its ease of administration as well as its suitability in establishing the best career to fit one’s personality and situation. Jung (2019) points out that this particular indicator satisfies accepted validity and reliability standards.

There would also be need to assess how exactly Lucy would respond to various hypothetical scenarios at the workplace. Seeking to determine how Lucy would behave in diverse scenarios would be important owing to the fact that the dysexecutive syndrome that she presently suffers from could affect her insight and judgment. Indeed, according to Hirstein, Sifferd, and Fagan (2018), “due to poor insight and the loss of understanding, people with Dysexecutive Syndrome may react aggressively, or appear stubborn and self-centred” (p. 74). There would be need to establish the extent to which Lucy’s insight and intuitiveness have been affected so as to establish which career choice would be most suitable for her. It therefore follows that in addition to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), there would be need to incorporate a situational judgment/stress test. It is important to note that unlike is the case with MBTI, situational stress tests are often essentially designed from scratch so as to ensure that they are specifically adapted to the diverse role needs. Thus, in this case, a bespoke tool would be designed for Lucy.

Development of a Wellness Recovery Plan

There will be need to ensure continuous support for Lucy before and after she secures employment. It is for this reason that a wellness recovery plan will be drafted well in advance. Some of the most important aspects that the said plan will capture are inclusive of; possible stressors that Lucy could encounter before and after securing employment, the most appropriate coping strategies that she could adopt, and progress made in as far as expectations are concerned (i.e. in relation to matching her expectations to reality and making the relevant adjustments). There will be need to undertake regular reviews of the plan so as to reflect new realities and changes. Simons (2011) considers the wellness recovery plan a useful tool in efforts to promote confidence and direct progress.

Protection against Discrimination

There would also be need to take into consideration the various legal provisions that protect Lucy from discriminative acts during the recruitment and selection process as well as after she secures employment. Of great relevance on this front would be the Equality Act 2010 that seeks to advance crucial protections to persons in their places of work in an attempt to ensure that they are not discriminated against. Thus, in her efforts to secure employment, Lucy would be covered by this particular Act. This is more so the case given that her condition/situation, i.e. disability, happens to fall under the 9 characteristics that the Act protects. The other characteristics covered by the act are inclusive of sex, belief or religion, race, pregnancy/maternity, marriage, gender reassignment, as well as age (Simons, 2011). Lucy’s condition could be considered a disability owing to the fact that it is a mental impairment whose effects on her ability to partake in diverse daily activities could be deemed adverse, substantial, and long-lasting.

Part 2

Recommendations to Future Employer

Employment Contract

The employment contract between Lucy and her future employer would also need to capture Lucy’s abilities and limitations. This is particularly important owing to the fact that it is not unusual to come across job descriptions incorporating an additional rider, i.e. performance of “other” duties as may be assigned from time to time. It therefore follows that the employment contract in the case of Lucy ought to capture the fact that she may not be assigned tasks that call for high-level organizational and planning abilities or roles that require a lot of concentration.

Training Needs

Although no effort will be spared in attempts to ensure that Lucy applies for only those positions that match her KSAOs, there is a possibility that efforts to prepare her could miss something that is of great relevance to the effective performance of tasks at hand. For this reason, Lucy’s employer could be advised to assess her training needs via an audit of her KSAOs. If it is established that she indeed needs additional training, then it would be recommended that the said employer comes up with a training program adapted to Lucy’s specific circumstances as well as needs. There are various approaches that could be embraced in an attempt to assess Lucy’s training needs. One approach that is commonly deployed by managers is an employee performance appraisal system. It therefore follows that in seeking to determine whether Lucy has what it takes to perform (i.e. from a behavioral perspective) in various tasks, the employer would be advised on the most appropriate behavior-focused performance appraisal approaches. Some of most appropriate approaches in this case, as Aamodt (2015) points out, are; mixed standards scales, forced choice scales, behaviorally anchored rating scales, and graphic rating scales. The most appropriate method in the case of Lucy would be the forced choice scales. This is more so the case given that this particular approach makes it possible to categorize rankings accordingly. In the words of Aamodt (2015), “rankings of performance on this front are inclusive of excellent, above average, average, needs improvement, and poor” (p. 277). This is a better approach than, for instance, behavior anchored scales whose scores are either ‘fail’ or ‘pass.’ A forced-choice approach would make it possible to more accurately assess Lucy’s training needs.

Career Development

It would be instructive to note that prior to her accident, Lucy was a successful middle level manager. However, at present, her abilities are clearly restricted as a consequence of the accident. This essentially means that she may not be able to perform effectively in the very same role. However, following the establishment of her training needs, deliberate efforts to further improve her capabilities and possible restoration of her abilities (i.e. following access to rehabilitative support), Lucy could register improvements that diminish her limited abilities. This could be established going forward via the deployment of the relevant performance appraisal system. Thus, Lucy could be assigned tasks and responsibilities that align with her development and capabilities going forward.

Disability Support

As it has been pointed out elsewhere in this text, Lucy has undergone some tests that established that she would be unable to perform at the same level she performed prior to her accident. Her limitations have been clearly highlighted. For this reason, it is important to note that disability support should in this case be deployed;

a) Following an assessment of her capabilities in assigned tasks – so as to further enhance her abilities to perform the various tasks correlating with the position that she is recruited for.

b) Following the establishment of the possibility of career progression – the ability of an individual to competently execute the tasks assigned at lower levels demonstrates their ability to perform at higher levels. As it has been pointed out above, it is possible that Lucy register improvements in as far as her as her restricted abilities are concerned. This is more so the case given that there are various treatment strategies deployed in the past to treat persons with dysexecutive syndrome that were deemed effective. Indeed, according to Hirstein, Sifferd, and Fagan (2018), “there are some medications that may be useful in alleviating the troublesome symptoms of dysexecutive Syndromes and/or the underlying brain condition” (p. 77). There are plenty of case studies that have indicated that persons with dysexecutive syndrome do show improvements over time following rehabilitative efforts. For example, in one specific instance, a patient was observed to be unable to perform his previous roles and duties following a traumatic brain injury (Cramon and Cramon, 2007). He was subsequently diagnosed with dysexecutive syndrome. Following the injury, his supervisors at the workplace indicated that he spent a lot of time on routine activities (Cramon and Cramon, 2007). According to the authors, it was also established that he found it hard to adapt to diverse work situations or scenarios. However, it would be prudent to note that in the words of the authors, “after 12 months of intensive training G.L.'s mental structure had been modified to incorporate new source schemata, which enabled him to carry out demanding routine thought operations” (Cramon and Cramon, 2007, p. 403). Thus, although no guarantees can be made at this point that Lucy will register some improvements in as far as her restricted abilities are concerned, should the management later on consider promoting Lucy, adaptations could be made make it easier for her in the workplace, i.e. in as far as the performance of new functions is concerned.

Adaptations

To a large extent, disability support could incorporate a wide range of adaptations. Some of the accommodations that would be most appropriate in this case have been highlighted below.