The world of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology can be quite varied. There are many ways to apply industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology, and our tasks can vary significantly even from one hour to the next. It is not unusual to be pulled from an ethical problem to a legal problem to a task design issue and more. This is part of what makes applying industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology challenging and exciting.

Scenario

You have been busy as the director of human capital. The company has reached a total of thirty-two employees as of this month, and you are continuing to hire and develop policies. Your desk is a mess with pending tasks, and today is the day you are going to get caught up. Make sure you address each task as described so you can go home and enjoy your weekend!

Directions

You are to complete the following five assignments utilizing the principles of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology and the assignments should be supported by a minimum of eight scholarly resources:

You checked your voice mail and learned that one of your best salespeople has to have a major surgery next week. He has shared that he is having the surgery on his right knee. He has a week of vacation time left but will be out for about ten weeks during recovery. The first two weeks his doctor has told him that he will probably be taking significant doses of pain medication and will not be able to do much. For the following eight weeks, he will have physical therapy at minimum three times per week and has been told he should not drive. He has been working for the company for about eight months now. The company has a short-term disability policy, but that covers only 60% of weekly income and starts to pay seven days after the injury/event. He wants to know whether he will have a job when he comes back and what, if anything, he can do from home. His job is outside sales. You are concerned that the sales department cannot reach the current goals with a vacancy on the team, but you also have to consider that whatever precedent you set in this decision may impact a similar decision in the future, which may concern a less productive employee. Before you call him back, you have decided that you are going to e-mail the owners of the company to run your thoughts by them.

Compose an e-mail to the owners explaining the situation and your recommendation for action.

Communicate the importance of the decision from a policy-setting perspective and long-term implications of any decision.

Include a mention of potential legal issues, including the Family Medical Leave Act.

Explain any additional concerns about equitable treatment and include your recommendation for how to handle the situation and the response to the employee.