Professional Workplace Dilema

Professional Workplace Dilemma

Being employed in the healthcare field is no easy task by far; you are faced with moral and ethical decisions daily. Not only are you faced with some tough questions, you are also faced with some tough decisions. At least one time or another on a job you may have experienced something that contradicts your views and beliefs or come in contact with an individual that has a slightly different definition of right and wrong and of what’s ethical and unethical. I am quite surprised each time I encounter an individual or situation that requires one to be a little right or wrong or a little ethical or unethical for the greater good.

I am currently employed at a place called Oak Hammock at the University of Florida. I work on the Assisted Living wing. The workplace dilemma that I experienced involves one individual forcing another individual’s personal opinion of race and racial interactions upon others by using tools that were created to help do well; as leverage to enforce unjust things. To this day I have not received an answer to the question “Do staff members have rights?”

I have been working in the same field for many years but have only been employed at my current place of employment for three years. For the past three years I have listened closely but quietly as members of Oak Hammock have frequently referred to staff members of different origin and nationality, other than Caucasian, as various animals, objects and racial euphemisms. My fiancÐ"© and I work at the same the Assisted Living wing of Oak Hammock however in two different departments. I am the Team Assistant for Assisted Living and he is the chef for the dining room. Occasionally throughout the day he would stop my desk to say hello like the seventy plus employees assigned to my area that pass by the reception desk daily. Business cordial is the way in which I would describe our communications at work as to not arouse the curious, gossiping nature of the members at Oak Hammock. Eventually they found out and the comments stared. Being an interracial couple we know what lies around every corner and behind every door so this kind of lack of knowledge did not move either of us at all. Well, in the healthcare field we have what you call “patient bill of rights”. Among other things it states “that a member has the right to express grievances regarding any violation of his or her rights, as stated in Florida law, through the grievance procedure of the health care provider or health care facility which served him or her and to the appropriate state licensing agency.” (http://www.doh.state.fl.us/MQA/Profiling/billofrights.htm)

In this instance an ombudsman was called. The Ombudsman has duties and powers as defined under Federal and State law as an independent consumer advocate. The chief complaint from the member to the ombudsman was the Assisted Living chef spends too much time at the reception desk and his being at the desk is hindering me from accomplishing my job duties and causing the food in Assisted Living to be terrible.

The report came in to the Healthcare Administrator, and the following actions were taken. My fiancÐ"© was told he could no longer go to the reception desk as it is giving the perception that we are not working, this was usually during his lunch time, so that was added also, he is to take lunch in a break room or off the property. The Administrator even suggested moving him to another area. So the member decided she would come to my desk look around and then go back to her room to ensure her wishes were being carried out.