Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts adopted a policy requiring all employee

Question

Baystate Medical Center in Massachusetts adopted a policy requiring all employees to either get a flu shot or wear a facemask over their nose and mouth while on duty. Clarke refused the vaccination on the basis of her religious beliefs. When she failed to wear a mask, she was suspended.

Who are the stakeholders in this situation? What are the health and safety implications to the employee, the patients and the medical center? Did Baystate act ethically? What are the conflicting legal interests at stake? How should they be resolved?

Explanation / Answer

The stakeholders are:

1. Employees

2. Baystate medical center

3. Patients

Health and safety implications can be-

Healthy employees can get communnicable disseases. Exhange of diseases between employees and patients can badly effect the business and ethical image of the medical center. Medical center can be legally charged for not following safety practices and procedures. Patients conditions could worsen due to increased amount and frequency of infection and can be fatal as well.

Baystate actions can be justified ethically because following safety practices and procedures is a mandate for all medical centers. They need to followed to not only protect patients against increase in infections but also employee protection. Employee protection and safe and secure working conditions are characteristics of ethical and law bound organisations. This is also a sign of good corporate governance.

The conflicting legal interests at stake are-

Clarke's argument- Freedom to follow religious practices

Baystate's argument- Safe and secure working environment and employee protection cannot be kept at stake.

These kind of issues must be resolved following mid path philosophy. 2 conflicting parties must be given open platform to discuss the issue and suggest options. The 2 parties should be allowed to choose freely according to which the final decision should be taken.  

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