Speak Out April 2017 low res FINAL

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June 2017 Speak Out 29
discuss when the paperwork will be completed and provided to
the practice, and ask when her final payment would be provided.
The speech pathologist was advised to write down the key points
she wanted to talk about with the employer, and to practise that
conversation, so that she was prepared for possible questions
and to reduce her nervousness. She was also advised that it
is appropriate to talk with future employers about workload
and present ideas for solutions to any problems she may face,
so that she is proactive in managing issues before they seem
insurmountable.
Query
“I’m leaving a practice and want to tell my clients, but the owner
says I can’t tell them yet as he hasn’t organised a replacement for
me. What should I do?”
Discussion
The owner of the practice never provided a written contract as
the two speech pathologists were friends before they worked
together. There was a verbal agreement about the percentage
paid for each client, and the professional development that the
practice would pay for.
The speech pathologist who is leaving thinks some of the clients
he has been seeing may want to follow him to his new practice,
but he hasn’t asked them directly.
Ethical issues
Having no written contract does make negotiations about any
aspect of employment very difficult, and SPA recommends that
any employment relationship is clearly described in a written
contract. However, if there is no contract, the employee still has
ethical obligations regarding the clients of the practice.
The practice owner can stipulate how and when the clients are
told their speech pathologist is leaving. This information should
be provided in a timely manner, i.e., not the week the person
is finishing, but with sufficient notice for the client to be fully
informed of what is happening. This conversation to plan when
and how the clients will be told can be initiated by the speech
pathologist who has resigned, to ensure the clients are informed
appropriately.
The speech pathologist who is leaving a practice should not
provide any details of where he will be working next or entice a
client away from the practice. There must not be any contact
initiated by the speech pathologist to the client for this purpose.
If a client contacts the speech pathologist once he has left the
practice, to ask if they can continue to see him, he can accept
them at that point, as the client has the choice of which speech
pathologist they see and initiated the contact.
Calling National Office provides the opportunity to talk through
an issue, to hear an independent view and take a step back to
examine the key issues inherent in a situation.
It can be helpful to practise what you are going to say so that you
consider both sides of the discussion, reduce the awkwardness
by being prepared, and demonstrate your professional integrity.
Trish Johnson
Senior Advisor, Ethics and Professional Issues
Ethics news
“I’m leaving a practice and
want to tell my clients, but the
owner says I can’t tell them
yet as he hasn’t organised
a replacement for me. What
should I do?”