Ethics in the   Workplace

/in /by

Ethics in the   Workplace

Analyze three of the following ethical scenarios:

  • Lorna is an administrative assistant in the human      resources department. Her good friend, Bill, is applying for a job with      the company, and she has agreed to serve as a reference for him. Bill      approaches her for advice on preparing for the interview. Lorna has the      actual interview questions and considers making him a copy of the list so      he can adequately prepare. Is this unethical behavior?  Why or why      not?
  • Betty is a high-producing, devoted employee who, at her      boss’s request, will often volunteer to work overtime in an emergency. One      morning, after arriving late to work, she told her boss that she got      caught in traffic, when in fact, she overslept. Is making up an excuse for      being late to work unethical behavior in Betty’s case? Why or why not?
  • Suzy and Tom work on an assembly line making computer      parts. While there are safety protocols in place to prevent workplace      injuries, these policies slow down the pace of work. Since employees are      paid per computer part that gets assembled, Suzy and Tom decide not to      follow the safety procedures so that they can speed up the pace of      assembly. Is this unethical behavior? Why or why not?
  • Bob noticed his supervisor, a young married man, taking      his divorced co-worker Joanna home two nights in succession, and decided      something was going on between them. Without any malicious intent, Bob      introduced the matter into the local grapevine and, as so often happens,      the rumor got out of hand. Is Bob’s behavior unethical?  Why or why      not?
  • Jennie was recently hired to work as a receptionist for      the front lobby. As a receptionist, she is responsible for making copies      for the associates. Her son Bruce comes in and needs to make some copies      for a school project. He brought his own paper and needs 300 copies for      his class. If he does not bring the copies with him, he will fail the      project. The company copier does not require a security key, nor do they      keep track of copies made by departments, so Jennie allows her son make      the copies at her work. Is this unethical behavior? Why or why not?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.