7 steps

MORAL REASONING
MODEL APPLICATION

ROSEMARY R. SAMPAGA
HRDM 1-4
 CASE ANALYSIS : MANAGER'S DILEMMA
You are the manager of a restaurant and one of your long-term employees did not show up for work on a Friday night
when your restaurant was slammed with customers. This really put you in a jam, and you have to ask one of your
other employees to work late to cover the shift for the missing employee. What is surprising to you is your long-term
employee has never done this before. It was shocking they never called to let you know what happened and inform
you they would not be coming in.

The following morning the long-term employee shows up for their scheduled morning shift. You are not very happy
because the employee acts like nothing happened, and did not even offer an explanation. In the employee handbook,
there is a statement about zero tolerance for “no-shows” when it comes to being at work ( this is really important on a
Friday night too). The employee handbook further explains the employee’s responsibility to notify you prior to their
scheduled work time/shift.

What should you do? Do you immediately tell this long-term employee they are fired because it was very disrespectful
to both you and the other employees, as well as making it difficult to provide quality service for customers because
you were short-handed in terms of staff? Or, do you give this employee a chance to “redeem” themselves?
 step 1: GATHER THE FACTS
FACT # 1
The employee did not
attend his/her shift at
friday night.
FACT # 2
The employee did not notify
you as the manager of the
restaurant that he/she is not
coming to his/her shift at
friday.
FACT # 3
The employee attend his/her
morning shift and act like
nothings happened and did not
bother to explain to his/her
manager why did she/he did not
attend his/her shift.
FACT # 4
There is a statement in the
employee handbook about
how the manager will not
tolerate "no shows" in their
shift, especially if it happens
on Friday night, when they
are aware that the
restaurant was packed.
FACT # 5
According to the employee
handbook, it is the
employee's responsibility to
notify the manager whether
or not they will be attending
their shift.
 step 2: DETERMINE THE
ETHICAL ISSUE
ETHICAL DILEMMA

The ethical dilemma is whether to tolerate

the employee's attitude, warn him or her
not to do it again, and notify the manager if
she or he is unable to work the shift.
Or the manager should fire him/her because
they are extremely disrespectful by failing to
explain the next day why he/she did not
attend his/her shift and notifying the
manager.
 step 3: DETERMINE WHAT VALUES OR
PRINCIPLES HAVE A BEARING ON THE
CASE

Values
As a manager, I will value my long-term employee
because he or she has had a lot of experience in
my restaurant, and I know what his or her attitude
is toward customers.
Principles
As a manager, my principle is to forgive and
accept his or her reason because no one is
perfect, and then tell him or her not to do it
again because it is disrespectful to me as a
manager as well as to his or her coworkers.
step 4: LIST THE ALTERNATIVES
ALTERNATIVE # 1
Approach the long-term employee why did he or she did not attend his
or her shift last Friday night and I will be considerate to his or her
reason and ask him or her, if she or he can't attend his or her shift just
inform me so I can find other employee to be in the long-term
employee's shift.

ALTERNATIVE # 2
Warn the long-term employee about his or her attitude that it is
disrespectful to me as manager and also to his coworker's.

ALTERNATIVE # 3
Be a considerate manager and refrain from asking because he or she
may be dealing with a personal issue and I don't want to add to their
burden.
step 5: COMPARE THE ALTERNATIVES WITH
THE VALUES OR PRINCIPLES

ALTERNATIVE # 1

Comparing the three choices, I find that the first one, which
involves giving my long-term employee a chance, best aligns
with my values and principles. The first choice is preferable
because everyone deserves a second chance. It's a good
substitute because I'm being considerate of my worker and
hoping they won't do it once more.
 step 6: ASSESS THE CONSEQUENCES
ALTERNATIVE #1
CONSEQUENCES :
The first consequences is if I tolerate and
understand my long-term employee's reason
why she or he did not attend his shift, his or her
coworker might copy what she or he did.
The second consequence is the long-term
employee might do it again because she or he
know that you will forgive him or her, or accept
his or her reason again.
ALTERNATIVE #2
ALTERNATIVE #3
CONSEQUENCES :
The first consequence in the 3rd alternative is
the long-term employee can abuse the
manager's decision because she or he did not
warn of his or her attitude and for not attending
his or her shift.
The second repercussion is that his or her
coworkers may copy them and skip their shifts
without informing the manager.

CONSEQUENCES :
The first consequence in the 2nd alternative is I
can hurt his or her feelings.
The second repercussion is that she or he may
resign as a result of being offended by what I
said to him or her, and she or he can post it in
social media to damage the restaurant's
reputations.
step 7: MAKE A DECISION

My choice is still the first option: to speak with my long-term

employee and inquire as to why he or she failed to show up for
work when he or she is aware that Friday night is the busiest shift
and that the restaurant is lack of staff , accept their responses, and
advise them to refrain from doing it again in the future.
Additionally, I'll ask my long-term employee to be polite and to take
their work seriously. Additionally, I'll ask them to let me know if they
won't be able to make it to their shift.