Leadership Development · Week 6
Use these scenarios for team coaching sessions, 1:1 debriefs, or certification preparation
Scenario 1
Situation
During a routine performance check-in about missed deadlines, your employee Jordan suddenly says, "Honestly, I have been dealing with a serious health condition and it has been affecting my focus."
Your Task
Respond compliantly the moment a health condition is disclosed.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Pause the performance conversation immediately — do not continue discussing the deadlines.
Express genuine empathy: "Thank you for telling me. I appreciate you trusting me with that."
Do NOT ask for the diagnosis or any medical details — that is not your role and creates legal risk.
Explain you will loop in HR to explore support and possible accommodations (ADA/FMLA).
Contact HR before the end of the day — same-day routing for anything involving medical information.
Keep the disclosure confidential — share only with HR, never the team.
Facilitator Debrief
The instant a health condition is disclosed, the manager's job shifts from performance management to compliant support and routing. Probing for medical details, or continuing discipline as if nothing was said, exposes the organization to ADA/FMLA liability.
Key Principle
Receive, do not diagnose: when health comes up, pause, show care, and route to HR the same day.
Scenario 2
Situation
An employee comes to you upset, reporting that a colleague made repeated comments that made them uncomfortable. They end with: "Please do not make a big deal of this — I do not want it to become a whole thing."
Your Task
Handle a potential harassment report correctly while honoring the person.
Step-by-Step Guidance
Take it seriously and validate them: "I hear you, and I take this seriously. Thank you for telling me."
Be honest about your obligation: "I am required to involve HR — that is to protect you and make sure this is handled properly."
Do not promise confidentiality you cannot keep, and do not investigate it yourself.
Document the facts as reported — who, what, when — without editorializing.
Notify HR the same day.
Follow up to reassure the employee they will not face retaliation for reporting.
Facilitator Debrief
Managers cannot honor a "keep it quiet" request for potential harassment — they have a mandatory reporting duty. Handling it informally or sitting on it exposes both the employee and the organization. Compassion and compliance are not in conflict here.
Key Principle
You are a mandatory reporter: harassment reports go to HR — always, and the same day.