Agreed, but how do you find out if the employee doesn’t volunteer the information? You can ask, but they might not be truthful.
You could ask their doctor, but only if the employee names them, and the doctor isn’t legally able to share medical records with you unless the employee permits it.
Unfortunately, the employee’s right to privacy from a medical provider, including psychologists or psychiatrists, is sacrosanct and protected (from everything but hackers!!). As a society, recognition of mental disorders is often coupled with a lack of willingness to open discussion, even amongst close family members. I agree that the lives of the innocent may be put at unreasonable risk when employees’ mental disorders are into play for certain occupations. My thought, though, regarding the final comment in the article is “how do employers VALUE the claims they prevent?” As most discussions in business devolve to cost-benefit, it’s easier to value the discrimination or injury suits after they are filed than is is to value the savings side of proactive involvement with employee who may have this kind of debilitating situation.
In the insurance agency business, the owner does have the right to audit a desk, computer of an employee if they suspect something or the work production has dropped off. It could yield a lot of information on what the employee is up to.
Easy….putting others lives at risk trumps your job security or privacy. A person with mental disorders has no business flying a jetliner.
Agreed, but how do you find out if the employee doesn’t volunteer the information? You can ask, but they might not be truthful.
You could ask their doctor, but only if the employee names them, and the doctor isn’t legally able to share medical records with you unless the employee permits it.
Unfortunately, the employee’s right to privacy from a medical provider, including psychologists or psychiatrists, is sacrosanct and protected (from everything but hackers!!). As a society, recognition of mental disorders is often coupled with a lack of willingness to open discussion, even amongst close family members. I agree that the lives of the innocent may be put at unreasonable risk when employees’ mental disorders are into play for certain occupations. My thought, though, regarding the final comment in the article is “how do employers VALUE the claims they prevent?” As most discussions in business devolve to cost-benefit, it’s easier to value the discrimination or injury suits after they are filed than is is to value the savings side of proactive involvement with employee who may have this kind of debilitating situation.
In the insurance agency business, the owner does have the right to audit a desk, computer of an employee if they suspect something or the work production has dropped off. It could yield a lot of information on what the employee is up to.