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Workplace Ethical Dilemma
Tanya W. Cooper
BSHS/332 Professional, Ethical and Legal Issues in Human Services
April 16, 2012
Kathleen Roberts
Everyday individuals are faced with issues associated with ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas involve an individual’s behavior toward a moral standard, which may have been established from previous generations and passed along. In upholding the standards taught individual may be forced to take a particular action involving a decision when a behavior is considered non-ethical is when an ethical dilemma occurs. It can become difficult at times in making the correct decisions or solutions to the situation, which is why a code of ethics is established in the workplace. The code of ethics in the
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In the workplace as well as one’s personal life is essential for ethics to be maintained; often taking the right action is not always the most popular choice. It is important for maintaining an upstanding ethical code of conduct to be a productive individual as well as function as an employee in the workplace.
Today’s workplace in consistent with several diverse backgrounds, which include different aspects of a working relationships within an organization, including age, nationality, education, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and religion. Although the companies include the diverse backgrounds, upon entering employment, each individual brings their own set of values, goals, and perception of acceptable behaviors (Lankard, 1991). In respect to the organization, these multicultural individuals are asked to work together in obtaining the corporations goals and policies. However, in the workplace, several ethical dilemmas may arise, which is not limited to, downsizing employees, salaries, successful employing organization, these dilemmas are additional stress to a diverse working population. Resolving ethical dilemmas requires critical discussion, analyzing, problem solving, and decision-making (Lankard, 1991). Resolution cannot be completed with one or two individuals; this process needs to include all stakeholders, current, and future for legal and ethical purposes. Stakeholder’s views must be expressed and reviewed because it
Management constitute amongst major components of a company, organization or a business. As such, management oversees employees interactions with their supervisors and also control of people within a particular organization. Also, it includes critical and ethical decision-making process so as to address various ethical dilemmas experienced by employees while undertaking their respective assigned duties within the company. Ethical dilemmas are hereby to stay as issues usually arise now and then and place a variety of options that bear different repercussions. Therefore, it calls for ethical and critical decision-making skills so as to make the most appropriate option that bears more benefits in comparison to other options presented. While making ethical decisions, it 's substantially important to play heed to a certain ethical decision-making theory. This would enable an individual making the decision to ripe best possible consequences rather than living to regret. Moreover, ethical decision making is typically important in business as making a wrong decision may result not only in huge losses but also poor relationship amongst colleagues and miserable life for employee(s) working in a particular company or business in question.
Ethical dilemmas are particularly sensitive issues in the workplace because the well-being of the individuals and the organization as a whole are at stake. Employees must feel as though they are being supported and not punished, and should not feel as though they were being put on display; their dignity should always remain intact. This paper examines how, as a high school principle, I would address the issue of one of the high school teachers becoming addicted to prescription drugs.
Ethical dilemmas, refers to the different testing choices individuals are faced with in their daily lives. These situations are designed to conflict each other in ways that choosing to conform to one, puts an individual in a difficult situation. Moral dilemmas are not short in the professional world, if anything; employees are faced with various transforming challenges in their workplace. Choosing one option, between the available ones, does not necessarily mean it is the best decision; rather, a person has to go with what is considered as a “lesser evil.” Social workers are required to carry themselves with the highest regards to morality and integrity, both within and outside the work places. As easy as the statement sounds, faced with circumstances that test moral behavior or integrity is a
The workplace is a microcosm of society as a whole. Therefore, one has to anticipate that one will encounter legal and ethical issues in the workplace, just as one encounters legal and ethical issues in the world in general. Of course, not all of these problems will be significant, while others will be significant. The difficulty for the employee is determining what ethical and legal issues are critical, which ones are less important, and how those interact with a person's own personal ethics. What is interesting is that seemingly insignificant ethical issues can actually have a tremendous impact on the workplace, because they can set the tone for the way that the office functions.
There are many different types of ethical dilemmas in the workplace. For example, conducting personal business on company time, taking credit for other’s work, harassment from coworkers or management, high pressure sales and theft* I have been in the situation to experience each one of these at my former job, Petsmart. Even though they are a large corporate company there are problems that fall through the cracks.
Ethical dilemmas are virtually impossible to avoid if you are a participant in the workforce. The definition of an ethical dilemma stands as a situation that challenges two or more “right” values that arise in a conflict (Treviño & Nelson, 2014). As ethical persons, how may we overcome ethical dilemmas and finish on the “right” side? The research mentioned in Trevino’s and Nelson’s book, “Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How to Do It Right,” suggests that preparing for specific ethical challenges before a situation occurs can adequately prepare the workforce to better handle real-world applications when an ethical situation transpires. The notion that ethics is teachable inspires the following case analysis. The case analysis involving chemical safety will discuss the facts and issues, stakeholders, decision alternatives, and real-work constraints. Focusing on each of the previously mentioned topics, I will describe the applications using Utilitarian, Kantian Ethics, and Rawlsian Justice Analysis’s.
The major issues facing corporations is how to approach and manage the ethical problems in a corporate social responsible manner. Corporate responsibility is defined as the idea of social responsibilities supposing that the corporation has not only economic and legal obligations but also certain responsibilities to society that extend beyond these obligations (McGuire, 1963). Ethical behaviour is linked to acting in ways consistent with what the society and individuals typically think are good values that include honesty, fairness, equality, dignity, diversity and individual rights (WebFinance, 2016). Each multinational corporation has its own code of conduct, in it stating their regulations and behaviours that they are obliged to abide by. The main ethical concerns during employment in any organisation are discrimination and workplace healthy and safety, wages, child labour and rights are of the highest concern on the spectrum. Discrimination can be in the context of recruitment,
In the workplace ethics increases the chance for more positive results. Honesty is a trait that is learned and when mastered, could help benefit an individual or company. Without ethics chances are constantly taken, leaving unknown results. These results could leave a company with outstanding profit gains or bankruptcy. The reason ethics is important in the workplace is because it will allow every worker who contributes to the production of the company receive proper recognition and reward, if any, based on that workers contribution. Here is Debbie Jones’ story.
Considering the code of conduct as a source of direction as to how employees or workers act and behave in the workplace is vital as it describes your role within an organisation as in how to interact with whom you may be doing business with. Another ethical issue which may play as a guideline to a business in terms of ethics is Whistle blowing. Whistle blowing is used in a situation that involves an employee/r or former employer whom raises a particular issue or concern to the people who are in power to take corrective action due to unacceptable practises and gossip. It is therefore important to foresee these issues to
A student goes to college and takes an Ethics course. He or she comes out of the class thinking that he or she will never compromise their ethics for any job. The thought is usually that they will come out and change the world. Then reality strikes once he or she begins looking for a job. Jobs are scare these days, and he or she ends of compromising himself or herself to keep the job they thought they could change the world with. Then when facing a dilemma at work, which he or she never thought he or she would ever have to make, suddenly a test of their ethics happens. According to Hanson (2010), “ethical dilemmas and choices
1. Discuss an ethical dilemma that you have had to face in the workplace. Ethical dilemmas
Values and ethics are essential in the workplace. It establishes how a company is run and remains profitable. Leaders are the key to demonstrating and creating the organization’s culture, ethics and values. It has to start at the top of the organization including the Chief Executive officer, board and owners. Leaders’ internalization and manifestation of the values in how they operate have a great influence on the employees. Every organization must start with a foundation, a code of conduct, code of ethics and a statement of values ( Ferrell, O.C., John Fraedrich, and Linda Ferrell).
Ethical behaviour is what all career people should aim to have. Not just the ethical attribute but exceptional behaviour with this regard.this is because in order to build a career, one must be governed by the rules of ethics to safeguard oneself and others. Ethics are essential in the workplace because a tough ethical code provides a non-threatening environment with high
Managers and employees face ethical dilemmas daily in organizations. When choices are unclear, individuals will more than likely violate long-held basic values. How dilemmas are managed can have a significant impact of the organizational success.
Everyone at one time or another will encounter an ethical or moral obligation in his or her life. While business ethics can be debatable, it is defined as a general perception in a “utilitarian” approach of common good for most people such as guidelines and rules that when faced with an ethical dilemma they can assist in making a good choice concerning moral obligation, character, responsibility, and social justice. (Prasad.) It could be something small as catching someone stealing from the company or even on a larger scale of hiding dangerous side effects to a new drug. When the situation takes place in a professional setting, people should act in a manner that would express the good of the company. There are many instances when ethical and moral behavior is not expressed throughout a company. The reason may be that some individuals might not understand what ethics are exactly and what it truly means to act in a proper way. In order to be ethical, one also must determine what course of action would