The given scenario involves being promoted to a corporate division. The director of the corporate division assigns me with a project stipulating that I should only report to her. Upon reviewing the project, I quickly realize that the basis of the job is the primary duty of one of the coworkers in the department. However, there were rumblings about restructuring the department. The ethical dilemma that presents itself is whether I should continue with the job or should report the matter to the director of the corporate division. There are various ethical issues present regarding the honesty of the company, the clashing of job roles, and the replacement of a coworker. Those ethical issues can be addressed by conducting additional investigations and discussing the matter with the director.
The ethical issue present is that the company, through the director of the corporate division, was not truly honest with the new job promotion. As the social media specialist at a company, I had applied for a job promotion in the corporate division. However, upon being promoted, the first task involved reporting only to the director of the corporate division. The director may want that the project reports to them as they may not have been truly honest that the new job position will involve replacing a coworker. Such dishonesty presents ethical issues that are usually difficult to address (Gerlach et al., 2019). Another area where the company was dishonest was that there were no stipulations that indicated that one should perform a specific work sample to receive a promotion.
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The clashing of job roles presents another ethical question that raises several questions. The new position involves undertaking a special project that involves the primary job role of one of the coworkers. The clashing of job roles can lead to a conflict in case the other employee finds out that another employee is doing a similar project. Other employees will also question the intentions of the director in assigning a project that is the primary task of another employee.
The other ethical issue is that of replacing another employee. From the given scenario, it appears that there were some rumblings of restructuring in the department. The rumblings could have been caused by an underperforming employee. Instead of the company deciding to lay off the employee, they decided to add another individual that would replace the poor performing worker. Such a decision is unethical as it involves an indirect firing of an employee. The company should have been honest with the employee and addressed the rumblings.
The best way to approach the project will first involve investigating the issue. The investigation will involve trying to understand the reasons for the rumblings. There were rumblings of restructuring in the department, but it was not clear. Clearly understanding an issue is the first step towards solving any ethical problems (Lloyd et al., 2017). I could find out more information from other employees regarding the restructuring. However, care should be taken when conducting the investigation to avoid causing additional conflicts in the department.
Another approach will involve holding a discussion with the director regarding the ethical issues. The discussion will involve raising the issue regarding the conflicting of job roles where the task assigned was the primary job role of one of the coworkers. Having a discussion with the director will help in understanding the issue better. I would also inquire to find out why the director wanted me to report to them and not to any other person. The other issue that should be addressed is the fact that there were no stipulations that the promotion stated that it would involve performing certain work. Asking such questions will help in understanding the various ethical issues presented in the case. I will ensure that I approach the questions with humility and in a way that does not disrespect the director.
It also appeared that the director was dishonest with most of the issues presented and handling the promotion or firing of an employee poorly. There is a need to advocate for an improvement in the way the organization manages various issues and conflicts. Improving the level of honesty when dealing with various ethical issues and conflicts can help in improving understanding (John, 2018). Additionally, I would advise the organization’s management to improve the way it communicates various situations. In case the employee was underperforming and was supposed to be laid off, the organization should have undertaken the right procedure. Likewise, in case the coworker with conflicting roles had been promoted to another position, the communication and restructuring could have been communicated earlier.
In conclusion, the given scenario presented various ethical issues that required a specific approach to solve them. The ethical issues were that the organization and director were not honest, there was clashing of job roles, and there was a restructuring that could replace an employee. The best way to approach the issue will involve investigating the issue, communicating with the director, and advocating for improved honesty and better communication.
References
Gerlach, P., Teodorescu, K., & Hertwig, R. (2019). The truth about lies: A meta-analysis on dishonest behavior. Psychological Bulletin , 145 (1), 1. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/bul0000174
John, S. (2018). Epistemic trust and the ethics of science communication: Against transparency, openness, sincerity, and honesty. Social Epistemology , 32 (2), 75-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2017.1410864
Lloyd, K. J., Boer, D., & Voelpel, S. C. (2017). From listening to leading: Toward an understanding of supervisor listening within the framework of leader-member exchange theory. International Journal of Business Communication , 54 (4), 431-451. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2329488415572778
