Speak Out December 2020

The ethics of gifting

• Is accepting this gift going to change your relationship with this person going forward? Will you feel indebted or perhaps more friendly to the person, leading you to make decisions based on this emotion rather than what is the most appropriate choice based on evidence? • Is there a possibility that the gift giver might expect preferential treatment in the future as a result of you accepting this gift? • If you say yes to this gift now, is it going to be harder to say no later if you are offered another, possibly more substantial gift? Other factors to consider Cultural norms around giving and accepting gifts What are the cultural expectations that prompted the gift? What are the social norms around and significance of the gift itself? Does the gift giver have a different cultural context for offering the gift? What would be the result of refusing the gift? Does your company have a policy about gifts? If you post a photo on social media or display this gift somewhere where others will see it, is it possible that other clients may think they need to buy gifts to avoid being disadvantaged? I would like to give my clients a gift as the school year ends as a part of wrapping up therapy for the year what do I need to think about here? Many of the people we work with have communication difficulties, we need to think about this situation from the way they have interpreted it, rather than our intent. Again, be mindful of professional boundaries, wouldn’t you think it was unusual if your dentist gave you a substantial gift? Maybe it would be okay if they gave you something like a toothbrush, but not set of wine glasses. Is there a possibility that the client will then feel obligated to buy you something, which they may not have factored into their household budget? Gifts could be considered as an inducement to use your service, clients and their families should select services based on their individual needs, rather than anything else they might receive from you over another speech pathology service. Nadia Marussinszky Ethics Advisor

As the gift giving season approaches, we are increasingly hearing from you about gifts and how gift giving and receiving interacts with ethical decision making. As speech pathologists we develop quick and close relationships with the people we work with and their support networks, this is important in ensuring that they are engaged with the therapeutic process and understand how to integrate any strategies we offer into their daily lives. The close nature of this relationship helps ensure our intervention is effective but can blur professional boundaries. Remember that we are paid professionals, and it is our responsibility to hold ourselves to a high standard of professional conduct in every professional interaction we have. The Speech Pathology Australia Code of Ethics states: "we do not directly or indirectly demand, solicit or accept any rewards, bribes, substantial gifts, gratuities, testimonials or benefits in respect to our work, with the exception of appropriate fee for our work". Things to consider as gift giving season approaches How might accepting a gift from a client effect the relationship I have with them? Accepting a gift from a client may result in a conflict of interest. You might feel indebted or perhaps more friendly to the person, leading you to make decisions based on this emotion, rather than objective evidence. The gift giver might expect preferential treatment in the future as a result of you accepting this gift. Other clients may perceive that the person who gave the gift is receiving preferential treatment, which may be considered a demonstration of unfair treatment, or they may feel that they need to also give a gift in order to receive what they consider to be a better quality of treatment. A client has given me a gift. How do I decide whether to keep it? When deciding if you should give or accept gifts from someone with whom you have a therapeutic relationship, there are a number of factors that should be considered. Questions to ask yourself before accepting this gift • Is this gift substantial? Has significant time or money gone into creating it?

Ethics

23

December 2020 | Speak Out