Personal Ethics - Sexual Harassment in Corporate Workplace - Assignment Example

Mission/Goals: I am an optimistic person with a belief in hard work and honesty. I possess sound communication skills and am emotionally quite expressive. I believe in building strong relationships personally and professionally. My family means a lot to me and I strive to devote my time to them as much as possible. I am a strong believer in the Almighty. I am a sociable person who enjoys the company of friends immensely. I am a keen cricket enthusiast and enjoy playing badminton as a sport. I adore my pets as well. I derive happiness from subtle things and believe in enjoying life to the fullest. Professionally, I am a committed Operations Manager. I believe in team work and enjoy multi-tasking. I participate actively in group discussions. I possess leadership skills and do my best to motivate my team to achieve organizational goals. I am a keen negotiator and make every effort to maintain a high standard of quality and timeliness in my work. I believe in taking responsibility for the work I take up and give my very best to the work on hand. I would like to develop a strong work – life balance, in order to stably manage my personal and professional aspirations. I believe I would need to develop my observational and problem – solving skills in order to become a more complete professional. I would like to see myself in a decision – making role in a few years from now. My aim is to be the Director of a Multi-national company. I hope to be a well – balanced individual, with a successful personal and professional life! 2. Definitions: Ethics are a set of values and principles that help one distinguish right from wrong. Ethics are the rules of one’s personal behavior that are often based upon laws, organizational policies, social norms, family, religion, and/or personal needs, and may be subject to differing interpretations. There is an old saying: “What is popular is not always right; what is right is not always popular.” Ethics govern the way people behave and influence their decisions on the 'right thing' to do. Our personal values contribute to the strength of our ethics. I believe that personal ethics influence our general ‘code of conduct’ in society and follow a process of continuous development. Leadership is a virtue that determines one’s ability to organize, guide and socially influence a group of people, in the accomplishment of a common goal. Innate leadership qualities often emerge at a time of necessity, but these skills are not possessed in equal measures by all. Leadership is influenced by one’s traits, intelligence, behavior, charisma, sense of authority, power and general temperament. Within an institution, each leader adopts a unique approach and style of leadership, for example: Transformational leadership or Situational leadership and gathers followers gradually. An effective leader plays the role of a mentor who encourages his team to think independently and guides the team towards achieving the outlined objectives. ‘Service’ may be defined as one’s personal willingness and voluntary contribution to any activity that does not have any direct financial or material compensation. One who is engaged in ‘service’ possesses a giving attitude, is dependable and is readily available to perform the task. In service, one must have the ability to work well ‘with others’, ‘for others’ and sometimes, ‘on behalf of others’. ‘Service’ to any organization requires active participation and a willingness to take on difficult responsibilities. Above all, the individual must represent his institution and perform committee work without a complaint, in the best interest of the organization and community. ‘Character’ refers to the innate traits, qualities and tendencies of an individual to think and act in different situations (known or unknown) with honesty, integrity, authenticity and responsibility. The pillars of character include trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring attitude and a sense of citizenship. Character is developed over time and is distinctive to an individual. The character of an individual is important because it defines ‘who you are’, ‘what you stand for’ and ‘how it impacts the people around you’.   In reality, character measures how true we are to ourselves, our morals and values. It is a treasured quality that is valued deeply in society and is often expressed in challenging situations. I believe that our character speaks where words cannot and thus, it is a truly important virtue. 3. Pressing Ethical Issues: I believe the most pressing ethical issues that are being faced in organizations today are ‘sexual harassment’ and ‘discrimination’. ‘Sexual harassment’ may be defined as an unwanted activity of a sexual nature, that affects an individual’s employment and creates a hostile work environment (Robbins, Judge & Vohra, 2012). Severe sexual problems at work include unwanted physical touching, abusive gestures, persistent requests for dates (despite repeated declining) and strong threats to an individual’s job on account of refusal to accede to sexual demands. Subtle forms of sexual harassment at work include unnecessary looks or comments, sexually overt drawings, print-outs or display messages, vulgar jokes and teasing beyond the limit of ‘friendliness’ or fun’. A study on American organizations revealed that 58% of women report having experienced potentially harassing behaviors at work, while 24% report sexual harassment at work! Verbal sexual harassment is becoming a common way of harassment in the workplace, as observed in the corporate workplace of China (Zhang & Zhang, 2012). There is a significant correlation between ‘power’ and ‘harassment’. Unequal powers at different levels of the organization are very often seen to spark bosses to throw their weight around subordinates. Sexual harassment can be divided into two types, namely, ‘quid pro quo’, where a manager demands sexual favors in exchange for employment and ‘hostile environment’ where unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature has affected an individual’s terms or conditions of employment, affecting work performance (Ramsaroop A. & Parumasur S. ,2007). Employees seek favorable performance reviews, salary hikes and increments from their managers, but are sometimes faced with an intimidating challenge of sexual demands in order to attain higher positions in the organization. Co-workers too, may use their ‘influence’ to sexually harass their peers by providing or withholding information, delaying or denying co-operation and support to their peers. Sometimes, it is observed that women who occupy higher positions are harassed by males occupying less powerful positions. Though rarely, there have also been recent cases of women in power harassing male employees. Organizations have made advancements in limiting sexual harassment by defining clear rules in employee handbooks and by conducting frequent seminars and sessions on behavioral expectations and conduct. The mere fact that outrageous cases of sexual harassment at the workplace do take place, makes it imperative for organizations to avoid strategic ambiguity on this particular issue (Gabor, 2006). Despite the emphasis given to expression, most victims are unable to speak up due to situational circumstances, fear, embarrassment and threats from the source. Undoubtedly, sexual harassment affects employee morale, performance, mental and physical health, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Importantly, harassment of a team member affects the entire group in which the individual works, disturbing the focus and thus lowering the productivity of the unit. Leaders must play a critical role in preventing sexual harassment within the organization. Some measures to achieve this are by providing an ‘Employee Handbook’ and a mandatory orientation session right at the time when the individual joins the company, so that every employee understands what constitutes sexual harassment. The procedures for filing a complaint and the punishments for being found guilty have to be explicitly defined by the managers. Leaders should communicate the importance of voicing sexual harassment (if any) and must ensure support and protection of the employee from retaliation, due to their complaints. A fair inquiry and investigation must be conducted for every complaint in this regard, with the active involvement of the Human Resource and Legal departments. In addition, regular sessions on employee behavior and conduct must be provided to reiterate the values of the organization and its stance towards sexual offences. This would certainly deter the occurrence of sexual harassment amongst the workforce. ‘Discrimination’ is another pressing issue, affecting organizations. Though many organizations are moving towards workforce diversity in demographic composition (for example: age, race, ethnicity as well as disability), ‘diversity management’ requires elimination of unfair discrimination. Discrimination means intentional differentiation between people and visibly showing biases and judgments against a certain group or category. Discrimination at the workplace can assume many forms, though prohibited by the law. Thousands of cases of employment discrimination are documented every year and many cases go unreported (Robbins, Judge & Vohra, 2012). Discriminatory policies and practices include actions taken by representatives of the organization that deny equal opportunity to perform or unequal rewards for performance. An example of such a scenario is when older workers are targeted for layoffs just because they are highly paid (Levtiz & Shishkin, 2009). Gender bias is a major issue that institutions are faced with today. With regard to women in the workplace, gender-based bias and stereotyping is a factor that prevents full attainment of gender equality in male-dominated organizations (Patil, 2009). Another form of discrimination includes sexual harassment, wherein unwanted sexual advances of verbal or physical nature create a hostile or offensive work environment. Intimidation is another type of discrimination, in which specific groups of employees are bullied or threatened. Bullying at the workplace is a sub-cluster of aggressive behavior observed in interpersonal work relationships, between two individuals or between an individual and a group (Pietersen, 2007). A very offensive and hurtful form of discrimination is by ‘mockery and insults’ where jokes or negative stereotypes are taken too far. An example of such a form is when co-workers jeer an employee repeatedly for his accent. ‘Exclusion’ is also a form of prejudice wherein certain people are left out of job opportunities, social events, discussions or even informal mentoring. Taunting physically challenged employees at the workplace, for their inability to perform a certain task is an immature and inhuman form of discrimination. Of course, other major forms of discrimination are disrespectful treatment, aggression, interruption of a person or ignoring the person’s presence or opinions. Some of these forms of discrimination are difficult to pin point or root out but on the whole, can lead to serious negative consequences such as lack of motivation, lower productivity and increased turnover. Unfair discrimination may lead to legal consequences, which can affect the reputation of a company in a major way. Discrimination is also observed occasionally at the time of recruitment of candidates; it is undoubtedly a loss to the company if a good candidate is not enrolled on account of prejudice. A good leader must ensure a conducive working environment, with emphasis on intellectual abilities and working skills, rather than dwelling on biographical characteristics like age, race, gender or disabilities. It is very important for the leader himself, to be aware of the concepts of ‘tenure’, ‘physical disability’, ‘religious beliefs’, ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’. This spirit has to transcend to the workforce in order to maintain a cordial and productive working environment. Effective leaders must encourage sessions on cultural diversity and set an example to the team. They must also recommend and incorporate policies to improve the diversity and tolerances of the workforce, bearing in mind the sentiments and perspectives of all communities. Appropriate measures and action must be taken by managers and team leads in case of breach of any of the discrimination policies. These steps would ensure a fair and just, talent – driven organization! References 1. Robbins R., Judge T. & Vohra N. (2012) Organizational Behavior, Pearson Education Inc., (14), Pg. 413-414. 2. Zhang X. & Zhang Z. (2012) Investigation and Analysis of Sexual Harassment in Corporate Workplace of China, Sociology Mind, (2), Pg. 289-292 3. Ismail M., Chee L. & Bee C. (2007) Factors Influencing Sexual Harassment in the Malaysian Workplace, Asian Academy of Management Journal, (12), Pg. 15 – 31 4. Gabor G. (2006) Sexual Harassment at the Workplace: Converging Ideologies, Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, (14), Pg. 100 – 109. 5. Ramsaroop A. & Parumasur S. (2007) The prevalence and nature of sexual harassment in the workplace: A model for early identification and effective management thereof, South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, (33), Pg. 25 – 33. 6. Levitz J. & Shishkin P. (2009) “More Workers Cite Agr Bias After Layoffs”, Wall Street Journal, Pg. D1-D2. 7. Patil S. (2009) Perceptions of Female Managers in Male-Dominated Industries: Effects of Gender Rarity, Performance, and Diversity Justification, Michigan Journal of Business, 2(1), Pg. 39-79. 8. Pietersen C. (2007) Interpersonal Bullying Behaviors in the Workplace, South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 2007, 33 (1), Pg. 59-66. 4. Case Study Analysis: PISCO PROBLEM SOLVING MODEL (Problem, Input, Solution, Choice, Operation) Problem (Step #1): David, a talented African American, who dresses in flamboyant colors is part of an organization with a tolerant, liberal outlook but has now been selected to work with a conservative customer. Should his boss, Mary, request him to change his dressing or should she speak to the customer regarding David’s creative abilities which would benefit the customer? Input (Step #2): David has a loud dressing sense: dresses in vibrant colors and wears a kufi (an African skullcap). He reports to Mary. The customer in focus is one of Mary’s best customers, a very conservative organization. David is a very talented and creative employee, greatly suited to the job. Mary knows her customer would react to David’s attire with raised eyebrows. Solution (Step #3): 1. Mary should speak to David regarding changing his dressing sense to conform to the customer. Strengths (S): The customer will not be affected at all by David’s dressing sense, as he would be unaware of the same. Mary would have taken her stance, being David’s boss. Leaders must play a role in adapting to contextual and environmental factors in achieving the commitment of diverse followers in the pursuit of complex goals (Visagie & Linde, 2007). Weaknesses (W): David may feel taken-aback and somewhat offended. Opportunities (O): The customer comes first so this stance would set a standard for future decisions. “In an era of intense global competition; many organizations have now shifted the paradigm of service quality to customer’s perspective” (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1985). Threats (T): David may take serious offense and may gradually manifest this is a rebellious way. 2. Mary should speak to David regarding wearing formals only when interacting face-to-face with the customer. He may wear his regular attire on other days. Strengths (S): David will be comfortable to the best extent possible and would only have to alter his dressing sense on select days. Studies have shown that persons with mixed identities are more positively disposed toward other groups (Gibbons & Ashdown, 2010). Weaknesses (W): The customer may make a sudden visit to the office and would find him inappropriately dressed (for their standards). Opportunities (O): Efforts would have been made to find a viable meeting point with respect to both, staff and the customer perspective. “In order to optimize the alignment of projects with company strategy, adequate management of the project portfolio is required” (Amberg M., Lang M. and Thiessen I., 2009). Threats (T): The rest of the workforce in Mary’s organization will expect the same bending of rules suited to their requirement at a later point. 3. Mary should speak to the customer about David’s talent and creative abilities. Strengths (S): David would not have to alter his dressing sense; hence he would continue to work with the same zeal and passion. Mary would showcase David’s true potential to the client, seeking the customer’s trust in David. Scholars believe that employee satisfaction with the accompanying service features may increase retention and, thus paving the way to increased organizational competitiveness (Ismail, Abdullah & Francis, 2009). Weaknesses (W): David would not understand the importance of formal dressing and his deviation from the norm. Opportunities (O): This would emphasize Mary’s belief in her organization’s values and tolerance policies. It would also enable the broadening of the customer’s outlook towards diversity in the work environment. Threats (T): Mary would not be asserting her role as a boss. She would be standing up for David and by this, would not be adhering to corporate policy. She may even have to perform the same tasks for other employees. References (PISCO): 1. Gibbons J. and Ashdown B. (2010) Ethnic Identification, Attitudes, and Group Relations in Guatemala, Psychology, (2), Pg. 116 – 127. 2. Visagie J. and Linde H. (2010) Evolving Role and Nature of Workplace Leaders and Diversity: A Theoretical and Empirical Approach, Managing Global Transitions, (4), 381 – 403. 3. Ismail A., Abdullah M. and Francis S. (2009) Exploring the relationships among service quality features, perceived value and customer satisfaction, Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, (1), Pg. 230 – 250. 4. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its implication for future research, Journal of Marketing, 49, Pg. 41-50. 5. Amberg M., Lang M. and Thiessen I. (2009) The Significance of Customer Value within the Project Portfolio Management, Communications of the IBIMA, (21), Pg. 158 – 163. Choice (Step #4): Mary should speak to David regarding changing his dressing sense to conform to the customer. Operation (Step #5): 1. Mary should invite David to her cabin and congratulate him on being chosen to work on this project due to his talent and creative abilities. 2. Mary should mention that this customer is one of her ‘best’ customers and emphasize on the importance of meeting the client’s expectations. 3. Mary should discuss the kind of role David is required to play as a representative of this company. 4. Mary should mention that the customer has a conservative outlook. 5. Mary now needs to speak to David on the need to dress in formal wear, while working with this client. 6. Mary must congratulate David once again and wish him the very best for the project. Course Summary: This course has definitely stimulated my thinking and inspired me to delve greater in to topics like ethics, character, leadership and service. I am surely able to view the world with a broader outlook and a greater sense of tolerance. I have always believed in honesty and integrity and this course has reinstated these values in me. The course content, structure and evaluation patterns greatly motivated me to give my best. I have gained immense knowledge through the modules of this course and enjoyed being a part of it. I would like to thank my professors for their efforts. Read More