Managerial Situation Which Raised Ethical Issues - Essay Example

Managerial Situation Which Raised Ethical Issues Reflective Report Description I have been a senior officer at Sohar Bank in Oman for the past ten years. This paper will give a brief description of a managerial situation which raised ethical issues related to the organisation and my career. I was asked by my senior to pass a no objection remark for his relative’s appointment in the bank. The relative was actually of low calibre and not at all a deserving candidate. Interviews were being conducted in the bank for a capable junior executive. The pay offered was lucrative. This was an excellent break for anyone who wanted to start his career given that the growth prospects were great for a fresher. I headed the recruitment drive in the bank. I had also short listed many promising candidates and was looking forward to train and mentor the new employee. Everything was going on fine until my superior told me about his relative. I believe in out of the box thinking, and for a while thought that it would be good enough to try out someone who had appeared unexpectedly on the scene. However, one meeting with this ‘relative’ changed my mind. He was a mediocre candidate who did not even hold the promise of developing himself. I told my boss right away that he was definitely not the right candidate. Moreover, there were at least five other short listed candidates to choose from. My superior is an otherwise efficient employee and I share a good professional equation with him. He has been a mentor to me in the bank for quite many years. He did not appear to have any compulsions on his side to employ the said candidate which made it difficult to understand his decision. My boss had even dangled a carrot of promotion at me for doing him this favour. Feeling The entire episode left a bitter after taste in me. I had held my boss in high esteem and now he was shattering his very image that I had in me all the while. It had never occurred to me that he expected a favour in return for guiding me. I however expected to remain in his good books by showing good performance and upping my performance. I was confused as to how he could take such a decision as he was compromising the work atmosphere and the image of the bank by recruiting an inept employee. The first thing that came to my mind was to inform his superior about the entire incident. Nevertheless, I did not know how to approach that person (i.e. my boss’s superior) as it had far-reaching consequences as far as the bank was concerned. To me this was bypassing authority. Evaluation This issue affected my work to the extent that I could not concentrate on my daily schedules and was making mistakes which would normally was not the case. I was also reprimanded once for delay in completion of my work. I could not let things go out of hand and had to find a solution to the problem. I knew that I was on the right path by rejecting the said candidate. I had let know my displeasure to my boss about him favouring the relative. I did have reservations regarding this as it meant that I did not take my boss into confidence. According to scholars like Heel, Raymond etc., the management setup is a block to reflection since it challenges the status quo (Bolton, 2014, p.na). However, I could not reconcile myself to the fact that a helpful individual would turn out like this, who was the cause of the problem. I knew that things were critical and that I had to take a decision fast. It meant that either my boss or I would remain in the bank. If I did not get the support of my boss’s superior, then I would have to quit the job, which meant giving a period of notice and looking out for a new job. The other scenario would be where my boss would be fired for his actions. This thought pained me as I did not want to lose such a superior. After all he would be losing his job because of me. I felt guilty that I would be the reason for his losing the job. There was also a third scenario where the relative would not be recruited. However, my boss would be retained in the sense that, a warning would suffice and that he would not be sacked. At that moment, I felt that this would be a better option, since my boss would not lose his job. At the same time, the inefficient employee would not be recruited. Analysis I gave the entire incident a hard look. Whatever be the outcome, I had to inform my boss’s superior as my own superior was not willing to change. The difficult part of the issue was next in line. I decided to take each scenario individually. I could be asked to quit if my boss’s superior was on his immediate subordinate’s side. This would actually make things easier for me, in that I could leave the organisation for another one and move on with my career. I already had years of experience in the bank and was doing well professionally too. After having reached a comfortable point in my career, I had started to network with peers in the banking industry. This would hold me in good stead when I take the plunge. It was just that I enjoyed a comfort level in my present organisation. I would now have to adjust to a new work environment. The second case was where my boss would be asked to quit. A bit of soul searching revealed that it was not the issue of my boss being sacked that was irking me. It was the guilt associated with it. I was looking at things from a black or white perspective (Schön, 1983); and I did not think about the grey that existed in between. My boss was definitely a wonderful person to work with. I looked back or so to say reflected on the issue that had happened. However, he had no right to compromise the work ethics of the bank, whatever may have been his compulsions. If my boss were to be sacked, I would still be holding the moral high ground. I would not be accused of being an opportunist who got rid of his boss. This reflection was liberating for me in that I was free from guilt and was on the right track leading to a transformation (Taylor, 2006, p. 15). With a clear conscience, it mattered no longer as to what people had to say. The next was the third scenario. This would mean a dichotomy, as I would be still working with my boss after all that he had done to me. After clearing the second scenario, there was nothing much left for me to do. My equation with my boss had changed. I decided to keep the earlier days as a remembrance and to live in the present. I could neither respect my boss nor accept any of his orders after what had happened. Hence, even in the third scenario, I could do nothing but quit the bank. Conclusion I learnt that ethics were paramount to everything else in the work setting. I met my boss’s superior, who was stunned at the allegation that I had levelled against his subordinate. He had a quick enquiry into the whole affair. It was my boss who was sacked ultimately. I was offered his post, but I declined. I decided that I would work for it. I did not want to accept the post, just because of my boss’s departure. This way I did not get something which I had not yet deserved. Everyone commended me for my actions and the matter was laid to rest. I had set a high standard of work ethics with this gesture for everyone to emulate. I shudder to think about what would have happened, if I had bowed down to my former boss’s wishes. Things would definitely have not gone very far. The three of us i.e. the relative, my boss and I would all have been shown the door. Action Plan In future, I would never think about compromising the organisation’s reputation. The procrastination and dilly-dallying did take a toll on my performance. I suffered for no fault of mine. I neither need to think twice in case of such an incident (Ertmer & Newby 1996, p. 1-24), and I definitely have learnt from reflecting on the issue later on. I will also ensure that no one gets the impression that they could bend ethics with me being in the picture (that should have become evident by my actions anyway). Honesty is indeed the best policy. Corrupt practices cannot continue for long. There is an end to it sooner rather than later. One should make it known that employees are not pliable commodities who can be bended according to any individual’s wishes. Transparency in everything that we do makes life easier. If we compromise on our ethics, we destroy our very means of livelihood. References Bolton G (2014) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development. Sage. Google Books. Ertmer PA & Newby TJ (1996) The expert learner: Strategic, self-regulated, and reflective. Instructional Science. 24 (1): 1-24. Schön D (1983) The reflective practitioner. New York: Basic Books. Taylor B (2006) Reflective practice: A guide for nurses and midwives. 2nd Ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Top of Form Bottom of Form Read More