ETHICAL ISSUES AND MANAGEMENT

Ethical Issues and Management Jaclyn Russo May 12, 2012 XMGT/216 Gary Cedrone

ETHICAL ISSUES AND MANAGEMENT

Management can face all different kinds of ethical dilemmas and issues throughout their career, the topic that I will be talking about is discipline, which sometimes can go hand in hand with termination. An ethical issue and dilemma can be very difficult to deal with, the manager has to decide between what they know is right and then also what their morals and ethics are. Situations like these can cause people much turmoil, the decision that they make could determine the outcome of someones job, or even their own. Discipline in the workplace can be difficult, you have to make sure that you are treating every equally and dealing out the same punishments to everyone or you could have a backlash. Discipline can also become difficult if you are the manager and have made friends with other employees and have to punish them, it can cause a rift in your relationship as well as other ethical dilemmas for you. According to Journal of Business Ethics: Ethical Dilemmas in Performance Appraisal, some managers want to avoid confrontation with subordinates, damaging working relationships, and creating permanent written documents which may later harm a subordinate's career. Disciplining an employee can be verbal warnings, written warnings, suspensions, as well as termination. There are many examples of misconduct that can lead to these disciplinary actions such as; attendance, theft, dishonesty, as well as rude and offensive behavior towards employees or customers. There are different ways to deal with having to discipline an employee; some managers are more direct than others when it comes to misconduct. Most managers view disciplining employees as something to be postponed for as long as possible (Trevino & Nelson, 2007). It is best to have a manager that is able to get to the point and be able to talk to an employee so they can take action and correct the problem that is going on, if a manager waits until the very last minute to bring up insubordination, the employee could be completely caught

ETHICAL ISSUES AND MANAGEMENT off guard be up for termination because nothing was ever brought to their attention. When you are a manager, part of your job is discipline and termination; you have to do what is right for your company and for your other employees, if you have someone that is making work difficult, then actions need to be taken quickly to counteract the problems. In my work history I have come across different managerial types, some are laid back and others are in your face and ready to give discipline for the slightest mishap. I have two instances where I have seen managers deal with different employees and different wrong doings

completely different. The first instance was when I was working at a miniature golf course I was the assistant manager, it was opening weekend and we had all new employees, so I was in charge of keeping a close eye on them and making sure everything went smoothly. All of the employees were informed that video cameras are set up around the golf course and the golf shack to ensure proper behavior from the guests and employees. There was a gentleman who had been running the cash register that night; he had a bunch of friends that came up to see him that evening. At the golf course we had kid and adult pricing, kids were 12 and under. I was getting drinks for customers but at the same time I was watching the employee at the cash register because he was waiting on his friends. I heard his friends say, Come on, let me get in for free, please, no one will know. So the employee told his friends, I cant let you in free, but I will give you the kids price. When I watched this happen I was torn in what to do, should I confront him and tell him to charge the correct price or should I tell my boss and let her decide what to do about it. I decided that it wasnt my job to deal out the punishment and told the manager. The manager reviewed the video tapes and did see that he did not charge his friends the correct price, later on that night they pulled him to the side and fired him. I felt awful after I found out that they fired him, I felt like it was all my fault that he got fired, it made me feel like it wasnt worth it to tell

ETHICAL ISSUES AND MANAGEMENT the bosses what I saw. I asked the owners why they had to fire him and they told me that it was the same as him actually stealing from them, so I do understand where they were coming from but I still felt bad that I got him fired.

The other example that I have seen, where management has face an ethical issue was when I was working at a restaurant as a waitress and we had an instance of sexual harassment that was going on and it took management a long time to do something about it. There was a gentleman that worked in the kitchen as a cook at the restaurant, he had been employed there for 10 years and was a really good friend of the managers. This cook would constantly make snide sexual remarks about guest and employees; he would sometimes brush up against the wait staff or accidentally touch them in their chest area. The wait staff had repeatedly told the manager about this but he would just brush it off and say that he is just joking around and is harmless. In this situation, the manager, who is the friend of the cook, refuses to listen to his employees because he is blinded by his friendship. Time kept going by and the cook was still up to his usual tricks and so we stopped reporting it to the manager and just had to deal with it. We hired a new waitress and we warned her about the cook and how sometimes he can be a pain to deal with because of the way he acts. Sure enough a week after she started, he was making comments about her and what he would like to do to her, she was very upfront with him, told him to stop making the comments, she wasnt interested in him like that. The cook just took her as a challenge and didnt pay her warning any attention. The waitress went to the manager, told him what was going on, the manager tried to tell her that he was just fooling around and he doesnt mean anything. The waitress informed him that it doesnt matter if the cook means anything doesnt give him the right to treat people like that, the manager informed her that because he has never seen the cook do any of the actions she was accusing him of, he couldnt do anything

ETHICAL ISSUES AND MANAGEMENT about it. So the new waitress devised a plan with another waitress to have the cook make comments and they were going to make sure that his friend, the manager was there to witness it. The plan worked, the manager saw and heard the actions of his good friend the cook, harassing the waitresses. The manager turned around and went back to his office, not saying anything to

the cook. We couldnt believe what happened, why didnt the manager say anything, we were in shock. The next day we came in and the cook wasnt there, we asked what happened or where he was and we were then informed that the cook quit because he felt he was being treated unfairly and ganged up on. Come to find out, the manager had waited until the next day to do anything about it, he was facing such turmoil, he couldnt decide what to do, and he had known this cook for 10 years and was great friends with him, so he finally made up his mind to give the cook a warning. The cook was so mad at the manager for not taking his side on the situation that he quit. Being a manager is very difficult, they face challenges every day, not only do they have to handle all of their duties and ensure that their employees are doing their duties, they also have the task of keeping the employees in line and making sure they are holding up their end of the bargain. Managers have to be on constant look out to ensure that everyone has a safe and comfortable workplace, if there is someone disrupting that, and then sometimes punishment has to be dealt out. I dont think all employees understand how difficult it can be to make decisions affecting others.

ETHICAL ISSUES AND MANAGEMENT References Journal of Business Ethics: Ethical Dilemmas in Performance Appraisal. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com

Trevino, L., & Nelson, K. (2007). Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How To Do It Right (4th Ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Chapter 6. Ethical Problems of Managers.