Overview
In this assignment, you will read a scenario about a criminal justice professional who is struggling with stress on the job. You will suggest resources and habits to reduce stress and identify how those around the criminal justice professional can reduce his or her reluctance to seek assistance for stress.
Prompt
In this assignment, you will view how stress affects a criminal justice professional from the viewpoint of a manager. You will explain ways to combat that stress and ways to reduce the reluctance of the criminal justice professional to seek assistance.
First, choose one of the scenarios below:
Scenario 1
You have been a supervisor for a few years, and you notice that one of your officers has been showing up for work more exhausted than usual and just on time or occasionally a little late. During his shift, he appears to be avoiding his peers. His fuse has been short, and a few arrests have included more aggression than normal, although not enough for a complaint. This officer, who normally produces a good report, has had difficulty writing his reports and has been omitting details, which has resulted in typing a few reports twice to obtain your approval. You know that this officer has a history of being a good officer, but clearly something is bothering him. You talk to him and he admits that he is under a great deal of stress and is having difficulty keeping his work–life balance in check.
Scenario 2
You are a female supervisor who has been on the job for 20 years. Although you are the supervisor, you are friends with the other four female officers in the department. Although the group does not all work the same shift, the camaraderie is tight, and the group checks on one another and socializes outside of work. Three months ago, the husband of one of the female officers committed suicide. He shot himself in his car. Before this act, the female officer had confided that she was having marital problems and that she was concerned because her husband’s brother had committed suicide five years earlier. When the group suggested peer counseling, she was not ready for that level of counseling but chose to rely on the group for support.
Since her husband’s suicide, her depression continues to be intense. She is crying daily and always stating that she wants her old life back. She has no interest in kickboxing or other activities she previously enjoyed. She is irritable, and, given her mother’s history of alcohol abuse, you are concerned each time she talks about drinking. The final straw is that she is beginning to isolate. Before she relied on the group’s support, but now she is not socializing with the group after work. Although it has only been 90 days, her deep depression, her loss of interest in her wellness activities, her access to her duty weapon, and her increased isolation have you concerned for her well-being.
Consider resources and habits that you could suggest to the employee to reduce stress. Then, identify how you, in a management position, can reduce the reluctance of the employee to seek assistance for stress.
Specifically, address the following criteria:
In 100 to 150 words, explain resources and habits that could reduce stress for the employee.
In 100 to 150 words, explain how management can reduce the reluctance of the employee to seek assistance for stress.
