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THE SET-UP: You\'re a manager at a corporation. You\'re responsible for the acti

ID: 329200 • Letter: T

Question

THE SET-UP: You're a manager at a corporation. You're responsible for the actions, successes, and failures of those under your supervision. As a manager, your goal is to help your employees maintain efficiency and strengthen their skills without driving them to exhaustion. Through a combination of company policies, you ensure that no one is without recourse if they feel mistreated. Ideally, you provide a positive, professional example and promote a healthy culture in the workplace. THE PROBLEM: One of your direct reports, Maggie, has requested your blessing to terminate Graciela, an employee who reports to her. Maggie stated that she has had to discipline Graciela for poor performance and claims she hasn't improved. You and Maggie have worked together for a long time and her judgment has always been sound. You told her you would support her decision. However, after Maggie met with Human Resources to begin the termination process, the HR Director called you to ask if you knew that Graciela had requested family medical leave to care for her sick daugh- ter. You didn't, but a little investigation reveals that Maggie didn't approve Graciela's request. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires that the leave request be honored, even if the timing is inconvenient for the company. You also discover that Maggie has made Graciela's life miserable for the past several months through intimidation and by assigning unreasonable amounts of extra work. Maggie's behavior may have violated the provisions of Title VIl, which protects employees against a hostile work environment You stop Graciela's termination and grant her FMLA leave. But the question of what to do with Maggie remains. She's critically involved in a project with tight timelines. Your experience with Maggie indicates that her recent behavior isn't typical, but her actions push legal boundaries and aren't acceptable given the company's culture. iven the factors above, what ethical criteria will you use to determine your path of action?

Explanation / Answer

There are five approaches of ethical criteria that helps a manager to take a decision :

In the given problem statement, it is clear that Maggie had crossed the legal boundaries and harassed an employee which is against the company's culture. So, it is clear that legal action is required against Maggie. However, further assessment of how any action on Maggie must be done for its impact on overall project and other stakeholders.Also, this was the first time she was involved in such action. so he should understood more in details behind this action.

So the ethical criteria of justice, utilitarian and common goods should be taken in consideration in next course of action.

Approach Type Criteria to take decision utilitarian approach Which option will produce the most good and do the least harm? The rights approach Which option best respects the rights of all stakeholders? The fairness or justice approach Which option treats people equally or proportionately as per law, rules and policy?   The common good approach Which option best serves the community as a whole, not just some members? The virtue approach Which option leads me to act as the sort of person I want to be?