Real-Life Decision Making
You've just finished your morning meeting with supervisors and staff. At the meeting, the supervisor of nursing assistants called your attention to a problem he is having with one of his workers. You have heard the story many times before.
He is pressing you to take action this time. "We should discuss this matter afterwards so we don't take up too much of other people's time," you say. He nods his head.
Once the meeting is over you walk slowly down the corridor with the supervisor, pondering the dilemma. You close the door to your office, pull out the employee's file and sink into your chair.
"Let's go over this one more time," you say.
"She is a single mother of three young children ages, nine, five and two," he says.
"She was living with her fiance and his family," you say. "What's happened?"
The supervisor tells you that her fiance is now in jail, and since he left, his family put the nursing assistant and her children out on the street. She has missed many days of work trying to deal with the crisis.
"Her car is broken down, and she doesn't have the money to fix it, let alone pay the rent or buy food for the children," says the supervisor.
You nod your head. "And when she's at work?"
"She's an excellent worker, but lately she's been spending most of her time on the phone."
You thank the supervisor for the update, and tell him you'll consider what to do.
When the nursing assistant doesn't show up to do her work, it puts a burden on other workers who have to cover for her. It also costs the hospital extra money to keep on a staff member that doesn't do her work as required. Should you give her more time to solve her personal problems and require more of the people who have to cover for her? Or should you fire her and look for someone who can do the job, and won't burden other staff?
What are you going to do?