Statement of the Issue
The most pressing ethical issue in business today is the maltreatment of the workers. Employees are people who put in a lot of effort to see businesses rise from very humble beginnings to large amounts of profitability ( Bowen, 2016) . While employees serve businesses exemplarily well, the treatment they receive from businesses in retrospect does not match the kind of selfless service most employees offer businesses.
Why it is an Issue and Examples
For most employees, despite extended service to businesses, they receive remuneration packages that are way below what they should be paid. Employees earn low wages when the companies they help to build are usually enjoying tonnes of profits reaped as a result of the labor employees put into the organization on a day to day basis ( Daly, Hobijn & Pyle, 2016) . Since employees dedicate so much of their lives and time in growing businesses until they achieve high levels of maturity, it is only fair that businesses reward these employees with equally satisfying remuneration packages ( Daly, Hobijn & Pyle, 2016) . Some businesses go ahead to mistreat and overwork employees. Cases of workers being forced to work more than the regular working hours are still present today despite the present labor laws to prevent this from happening ( Bradberry, 2017) . For most employees, they cannot say no to extra hours because, in most cases, the bonus payment they receive for working these extra hours help them to cover some of the expenses their meager pay would have proven incapable of.
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The mistreatment of workers can be seen form how workers are easily retrenched by businesses. Whenever businesses hit some form of an economic snag, the ones who usually face the brunt of the matter are employees. Businesses layoff and retrench employees, and in some cases, they blame the prevailing economic conditions citing that it is impossible to carry on with business with that particular number of employees ( Barbero, Di Pietro & Chiang, 2017) . However, such layoffs and retrenchments are extremely unethical since they showcase how most businesses do not stand up for their employees in the time of difficulties like employees do in times when businesses are going through a hard time. Low pay and retrenchments are not the only mistreatments employees suffer at the hands of the business.
Some employees have had to go through worse cases of mistreatment at the hands of businesses. Employees have been sexually harassed by business managers and owners or people who have a higher rank than them ( Wallis, 2019) . Some employers have even been accused of physically assaulting their employees by administering corporal punishment in the name of maintaining discipline among the workforce. Employees who have been sexually and physically harassed by managers and owners of business sometimes have to suffer the lack of justice since most businesses go to all lengths to prevent such information from leaking to the media and damaging the reputation of their businesses.
Consequences
The sad truth about this matter is that it has minimal consequences, and if there are any, the employees are the one who ends up feeling them and not the businesses. However, just to identify some common consequences is that mistreatment of employees is likely to lead to high employee turnover ( Bradberry, 2017) . Markedly, this means that employees will easily switch jobs to search for more profitable and promising job offerings where their presence is valued and their services appreciated.
Solution
The most tenable solution to this is the enforcement of regulations. Some businesses out of their largesse are usually allowed to get away with cases of employee mistreatment ( Bradberry, 2017) . Law enforcement agencies should ensure they play their part in enforcing laws and policies about the treatment of employees by business organizations.
References
Barbero, J. L., Di Pietro, F., & Chiang, C. (2017). A rush of blood to the head: Temporal dimensions of retrenchment, environment, and turnaround performance. Long Range Planning , 50 (6), 862-879.
Bowen, D. E. (2016). The changing role of employees in service theory and practice: An interdisciplinary view. Human Resource Management Review , 26 (1), 4-13.
Bradberry, T. (2017). 9 Things That Make Good Employees Quit. Huff Post .
Daly, M. C., Hobijn, B., & Pyle, B. (2016). What’s up with wage growth. FRBSF Economic Letter , 7 .
Wallis, E. (2019). Immigrant Female Farmworkers in California Need Greater Protection Against Sexual Harassment.
