Psychology is a diverse discipline with various branches that people can specialize in and pursue a wide range of careers. One of the major branches of this discipline is industrial and organizational psychology (I/O psychology). I/O psychologists are tasked with applying theories to real-world workplace scenarios and help solve common and emerging workplace problems. Some of these scenarios pertain to corporate culture, employee retention, team building, and worker engagement. One critical career path that one can pursue as an I/O psychologist is to specialize and become a consultant. An I/O psychology consultant has diverse roles in an organization since that spread across all functional units of an institution. Principally, several variables define how well an organization performs some which include process evaluation, communication, and effective management (“ Pursuing a Career in Industrial and Organizational Psychology,” 2013 ). An I/O psychology consultant provides expert advice on challenges associated with human resources and their related processes. For example, an organization will want to hire employees, have conflict resolution mechanisms, and establish meaningful relationships among its workers. Thus, an I/O consultant will be appointed to assess and test leadership development, staffing process, diversity issues, and workplace safety (“ Pursuing a Career in Industrial and Organizational Psychology,” 2013 ). One ethical requirement for I/O psychology consultants is to maintain privacy and confidentiality because they deal with a wide range of employees and organizations. Section 4 of the APA Ethics Code provides insights into how I/O psychology consultants should uphold their clients' privacy and confidentiality.
APA Code of Ethics Section 4: Privacy and Confidentiality
Maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of clients is an essential ethical trait across the entire psychology spectrum. It is thus critical for I/O psychology consultants to understand that people and, therefore, organizations take the privacy and confidentiality of their issues seriously. I/O psychology consultants are hired by different organizations to give their expert advice on various issues. Such problems could be related to the organization's internal or external dynamics touching on the holistic performance of its human resources. Fundamentally, as an I/O psychology consultant, one will have access to a wide range of sensitive information. It is upon the expert to maintain discretion with the highly sensitive data they receive from each organization (Fisher, 2016). Section 4 of the APA Ethics Code gives directions into how a consultant should behave concerning privacy and confidentiality requirements. The division has eight standards that explicitly explain the different aspects of the ethical obligation of privacy and confidentiality. It is also pertinent for an I/O psychology consultant to understand the legal confines that define privacy and confidentiality issues. Moreover, socio-cultural and personal characteristics will influence how an I/O psychology consultant will navigate the ethical landscape of privacy and confidentiality.
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Maintaining Confidentiality
An expert I/O psychology consultant must always take the required precautions to protect confidential information. Such information will be either spoken or stored in any medium such as electronic databases. According to Fisher (2016), an expert psychologist should learn to respect the dignity and privacy of the organization and its employees by protecting confidential information. Thus, a culture of taking reasonable precautions to maintain confidentiality should be a top priority for an I/O psychology consultant. For example, as a consultant, one will be hired to look into employee relationships and establish formidable work associations.
In such an endeavor, the consultant will interact with employees and organization’s documents pertinent to the task. They will likely gain sensitive information that shows how the organization operates. Some of the data will include competitive workforce factors that, if mishandled, can land in the hands of competitors. Companies are always looking for opportunities to dethrone industry leaders, and if they get some sensitive information, they use it to disadvantage their opponent. Information that indicates how an organization maintains its competitiveness is highly sought after, and if one is not ethical enough, they might disclose it. An unethical I/O psychology consultant will find themselves in a dilemma of preserving the confidentiality of the information or selling it to third parties. The ability to maintaining confidentiality is a fundamental ethical characteristic that each psychologist should have in their career profile. One can achieve this by cultivating this by strictly following nondisclosure agreements ( Borkosky & Smith, 2015 ). Nondisclosure contracts shift the responsibility for confidentiality to the I/O psychology consultant. If one leaks confidential information, then they can be sued by an organization. Such an eventuality can be damaging to one’s career and the image of their consultancy firm.
Discussing the Limits of Confidentiality
When one is hired as an I/O psychology consultant, they must reveal the limits of confidentiality. The APA Ethics Code provides three aspects of the limits of privacy that a consultant must follow. First, one must engage the organization's leadership on the appropriate boundaries of confidentiality, and any intended use of the information revealed to them. Second, such a discussion must happen at the initial stages of the engagement and reviewed later as circumstances dictate. Lastly, if any information is electronically transmitted, it is prudent to inform the client of the risks to privacy and confidentiality (“Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct,” 2017). At the initial stages of engagement, one should consider any type of obligation that can limit confidentiality. For example, when assessing human resource data and one notes that there are some aspects of child labor, the law requires that the expert report to relevant authorities (Fisher, 2016). In such a circumstance, one is limited from maintaining the required levels of confidentiality. Transparency is a critical value that defines any engagement. It requires that an I/O psychology consultant provide their client with all information that can limit confidentiality.
Limits of confidentiality provide a platform for informed consent in professional engagements. When a consultant is tasked to examine critical aspects that involve engaging employees, it is judicious that the workers be informed of the plans. A psychologist who is tasked by a learning institution to develop operational frameworks for handling juvenile, they must make tell parents and guardians. Cases of child abuse or neglect, imminent self-harm, and indicators of past crimes, among others, should be reported to relevant authorities (Fisher, 2016). It is important to note that the disclosure of such information can have dire repercussions on the organizational client. A professional should not promise client confidentiality without spelling out all the related limitations. According to Blease et al. (2016), psychologists, including those in the I/O domain, should provide adequate informed consent to stakeholders of a given assignment. This means that the interests of the client should be prioritized at the onset of an endeavor. Other work engagements that an I/O psychology consultant will encounter relates to the electronic transfer of information. The professional must inform their clients of the dangers of electronic transmission of data. For example, data might leak and get into the hands of malicious individuals.
Recording
In their line of duty, and I/O psychology consultant may want to record data about employees or stakeholders in an organization. Before undertaking such an exercise, the involved persons must be made aware. When one records voices and images of others without informing them, it amounts to infringing on their privacy. Again in this scenario, informed consent becomes an indispensable requirement for the psychologist. Blease et al. (2016) note that informed consent is a process that includes a combination of written and verbal disclosure of information to clients before they commence their tasks. An organization may want to evaluate the nature of relationships among its workers. As such, they will want to observe the workers as they undertake their regular duties. If the observation involves the recording of any form, the employees must be notified. Although recording is a versatile way of gathering data for organizational modeling, it also has privacy and confidentiality concerns ( Cychosz et al., 2020 ). For example, when recording employees who are providing their inputs about their company's sensitive details, voice recording can be used to profile them at a later date. Voice data has a high risk of identification and subsequent loss of confidentiality. The risk is aggravated when the recordings capture real-life behaviors over a lengthy duration. Recording can thus be intrusive, which poses a risk of disrupting longstanding and informal traditions among the employees. Although such a culture is casual, it has an impact on how the employees perform.
Minimizing Intrusion on Privacy
When mandated to undertake a specific task, a consultant should limit the information collected to the confines of that endeavor. As such, one should always include oral and written reports and consultations on the information relevant to the communication (“Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct,” 2017). For example, an I /O psychologist can be hired as a consultant to find the impact of diversity on an organization's dynamics. Such a duty should limit the employee to focus only on diversity issues and avoid overly intruding on the workers. Only information that the organization requires should be collected while private matters should be left out. Information about ethnic background, religion, and education can be asked when one wants to ascertain the diversity in the company. However, information such as political affiliation, the number of children one has, and their bank account details should be avoided.
Confidential information should be discussed in a professional context and with people concerned with the subject matter. As a consultant, one may be tempted to share sensitive information with their friends, which goes against the ethical code of conduct. The human resource manager can task the I/O psychology consultant to help screen candidates for promotion purposes. That information must only be shared with the hiring committee. If the head of security is not part of the committee, then there is no reason to share it with them. Also, one should not divulge that information to outside parties such as family and friends. As such, the information should be used for the purposes it was intended.
Disclosures
Disclosures have a two-sided approach when it comes to privacy and confidentiality in an I/O psychological career. As a new I/O psychology consultant, one should understand that they should disclose confidential information with the proper consent of the client organization (“Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct,” 2017). A consultant may be required to conduct independent research on group interactions and motivation. The assignment will need the expert to engage different groups within the organization, including individual employees. During these interactions, they will come across highly sensitive information, especially from disgruntled workers. Also, they will be privy to success factors that drive the organization's competitive agenda. The psychologist will learn a lot of internal dynamics of their client organization. However, it is wrong for the consultant to diverge the findings on other platforms or third parties without the client's consent. According to Frey (2017), it is fundamental for psychologists to understand professional ethics, and identify the relationships established that define disclosure of information. The organization may require that the information be shared with a legally authorized entity such as a government agency. However, the disclosure agreements are subject to the laws of the land.
An I/O psychology consultant can only divulge confidential information only in the circumstances permitted by law. For such instances, there is no need for consent from the client organization (Fisher, 2016). For example, during research about employee wellness, a consultant may discover that many employees have mental issues due to adverse work conditions. Morality dictates that the good of the majority is supreme in such a situation. Therefore, as a consultant, one is justified to inform relevant government agencies without informing the management of the client company. It could be that the employees are exposed to undue pressure by their employers, and they are warned against reporting. Another scenario is when the client organization fails to honor its part of the bargain by refusing to pay the consultant. The I/O psychology consultant can disclose a minimum amount of relevant information to force the client to pay for the services (“ Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct,” 2017 ). One thus acknowledges that consent to disclose provided by the client organization is not binding; there are instances the law takes precedence.
Consultations
Consultations are vital aspects that an I/O psychology consultant must learn to embrace. Nevertheless, deliberations are influenced by two ethical elements, as detailed in the APA Ethics Code. First confidential information can reasonably be linked to another person with a confidential association without prior consent. This provision can be voided if the disclosure is necessary (“ Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct,” 2017 ). In an organization, disputes always emerge between parties that require mediation. As an I/O psychology consultant, this will be one of the major duties one will be tasked to find facts surrounding dispute events. If the management seeks a consultant's services, the psychologist should not divulge any findings to the employees in the course of consultations. However, it is possible to gain specific information; they must provide some sensitive data collected before. In such a situation, it is okay for the I/O psychology consultant to disclose the relevant information in the course of consultations.
Second, during the consultation processes, the I/O psychology consultant should disclose information that is just enough to achieve the intended purpose. According to Fisher (2016), consultations are critical means of ensuring one's competence as an I/O psychology consultant is maintained with the boundaries of ethics. The identity of the research participant should not be disclosed when making consultation with stakeholders in an organization. For example, if there are allegations of sexual abuse, psychologists should not go mentioning names of keys suspects and victims to others. One can just mention the theme of their investigation in a general manner to try to gain more information about the issue. Therefore, it will not be possible to jeopardize the reputation of other participants.
Use of Confidential Information for Didactic or Other Purposes
It is unacceptable for psychologists to divulge any confidential and personal data in their writings or any other publicly accessible media. As an I/O psychology consultant, one may be asked to provide commentary in a newspaper column or give a lecture to upcoming psychologists ( Fisher, 2016 ). Also, one may want to contribute to the discipline's growth by authoring a book or research article. Such opportunities are significant because they help one establish and fortify their career and public profile. It is, however, expected that a consultant would not disclose details of their clients explicitly. One of the following three things must be present if one has to share information about a client organization. One must succeed in concealing the identity of the clients if they must use such information. Second, the consultant must seek permission from the client’s organization. There must be legal consent by the client to do so (“ Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct,” 2017). Otherwise, one can jeopardize the image of a client organization or even compromise their career.
Summary: Relationship Between My Values and Ethical Decision Making
As an I/O psychology consultant with significant experience in the field, I have come to understand that having guiding values and beliefs is critical. The career is mainly based on ethical decision making mostly due to the sensitive nature of information one accesses. Some of this information will be wanted by third parties who will approach you with money so that you can sell to them. One should be professional beyond reproach and should be guided by several fundamental values. First, I believe that to make a statement in this career, they must have a passion for learning. Lifelong learning is one aspect that has kept me afloat, winning me various awards in my career ( Graves, 2018 ). While constant learning is crucial, one may be biased to focus only on psychology-related materials. One thing that must be understood is that a career as an I/O psychology consultant spans across multiple disciplines. For example, one will be required to address the issue with human resource management, professional development, and executive coaching. Also, one will be hired by different industries with varying needs and dynamics. Thus, extensive research and knowledge acquisition are required. One way to ensure that one has lifelong reading is to contribute to scholarly journals, subscribing to renowned journals, and undertaking recognized professional certifications. When one is widely read, they will be able to make sound judgments in their duties and responsibilities.
Second, one must have a robust ethical core based on the industry provided a code of ethics. For example, the American Psychological Association offers a detailed ethical framework that should form a consultant's first choice of reference. Ethical decision making is an essential element that a consultant should have in their profile ( Plante & Pistoresi, 2017 ). I believe that success in this career is informed by the decisions one makes along the way. As an example, it is highly likely that one will be approached by other parties to provide information about specific clients. Media personalities are notorious for this because they would want to write moving stories in their newspapers. When faced with such a scenario, I first think of the client organization's welfare and career, and then I contemplate all consultants. I would never want to jeopardize all these parties. Last, I value cultivating the level of trust that my clients have for me. I believe that trustworthiness is the glue that has held my career together for this long ( Everett et al. 2016 ). Without dependability, I would never have repeat clients since my public image would be soiled. All these values narrow down to having the ability to make ethical decisions.
References
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Borkosky, B., & Smith, D. M. (2015). The Risks and Benefits of Disclosing Psychotherapy Records to the Legal System: What Psychologists and Patients Need to Know for Informed Consent. International journal of law and psychiatry , 42 , 19-30.
Cychosz, M., Romeo, R., Soderstrom, M., Scaff, C., Ganek, H., Cristia, A., ... & Weisleder, A. (2020). Longform Recordings of Everyday Life: Ethics for Best Practices. Behavior Research Methods , 1-19.
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Fisher, C. B. (2016). Decoding the Ethics Code: A Practical Guide for Psychologists . Sage Publications.
Frey, R. A. M. (2017). Ethical Challenges for Military Psychologists: When Worlds Collide. Ethics & Behavior , 27 (4), 283-296.
Graves, M. R. (2018). Lifelong Learning. SFU Educational Review , 11 (1).
Plante, T. G., & Pistoresi, S. (2017). A Survey of Ethics Training in Undergraduate Psychology Programs at Jesuit Universities. Pastoral Psychology , 66 (3), 353-358.
Pursuing a Career in Industrial and Organizational Psychology . www.apa.org. (2013). Retrieved from www.apa.org/action/science/organizational/education-training.
