Office Gossip and Principles of Virtue Ethics - Case Study Example

Module Module ID: Office Gossip Q The case under-examination arouses few ethical and moral issues, which the individuals are bound to observe in their professional life while performing their duties and obligations in the best interest of their workplace. Although they appear to be emancipated to exercise their free will as well as get involved into the activities of their choice after work hours, yet they are ethically bound to observe moral values and decency for the prestige of their family and organization alike. The same is also applied to Ms. Lilly Kropov, the member of sales team of the organization under study. Lilly had been working in the company as a salesperson, where she came across a customer, named Keith Lasky, with whom she was found in an objectionable condition, in her office talking sexy and creating noise with Lasky, which was not acceptable for her co-workers altogether. Since her company had appointed Lilly to enter into sales venture with the customers and clients, and she had been paying due heed to the same by producing excellent results during the course of performing her duties, she should have also kept in view that she was not only under-obligation to increase sales volume of the company, she was also expected to work for the good name and fame of her workplace. The company had bestowed its unflinching trust in Lilly, and it used to appoint her for its overseas operational services; it is therefore, her developing sexual relationships with one of the customers of the company not only appeared to be disgusting for her co-workers and colleagues, but also this act of her portrayed a very awkward scenario for the company that the sales staff of the company could touch even the bottom for generating business from the customers. In addition, the wrong-doing initiated by Lilly by developing extra-marital relationship with a customer introduced the condemnable trend that the female sales staff would also have to offer their physical charms for the sexual gratification of the customers in order to promote the company subsequently. Hence, her irresponsible act brought humiliation and defamation to the company, as the customers could communicate the same to the public at large that the company also offers the female staff for the sexual pleasures of the customers for capturing the attraction of others. Moreover, a married woman’s entering into extra-marital relationship with a customer was equally humiliating for her husband and children, as they would never allow such indecent activities. Consequently, her company, co-workers and family members appear to be the affected parties in this case. Q 2: Consequentionalism lays stress upon the ethical standard of one or more acts executed by the individuals in the light of the outcomes and consequences of same on other members of society. The term submits to state that an act could be regarded as beneficial or harmful on the basis of its impact on others. Since the grumbles and murmurs made by the office staff against Lilly may lead towards her termination from the job she is successfully doing, the co-workers’ grumbling may have adverse consequences, which is quite unethical and unfair in consequentionalist point of view. I will discourage such flow of disinformation by shifting the murmuring staff members to different departments in order to dampen conspiracies and intrigues from the office. Similarly, Deontologist ethics concentrates upon assessing the goodness of an action in the light of its sticking to the rules. Since it is a rule that no gossiping will be conducted in the office premises or professional environment that comes under the definition of back-biting, the staff members conducted the same against Lilly, which is absolutely turned down by the deontologist ethics; the same is also applied to Lilly as well. I may transfer Lilly’s services to the department that has large number of female customers, in order to escape further complains against her. Despite the very fact that the staff members are free to do whatever they like after work hours come to their ultimate end, no one is allowed to use the office for personal purposes or misuse the same for revelries and immoralities in any way. Lilly could take the plea that she was responsible to one for her activities exercised in her leisure hours, though she could not be allowed to apply the same with the customers with whom she had developed corporate relationships from the platform of her company. On the other hand, virtue ethics submits to state that an act is assessed on the basis of whether or not the act is being conducted on moral grounds i.e. keeping in view the moral values. Since the staff members are making complains against Lilly out of sheer jealousy for her, their conduct does not have moral grounds altogether. Similarly, no married woman, including Lilly, should develop illicit sexual relations with others, and should keep the prestige of family and organization in mind. Thus, being the manager of the organization, I will issue warning to both the parties for violating the principles of virtue ethics in the case under discussion. Q 3: Organizational behavior vehemently teaches the managers and administrators for the maintenance of decorum essential for the successful execution of the corporate activities under a pleasant and congenial environment. Principle of Honesty communicates the strict observing of truthfulness, where man should not deceive others by make false notions about others without having complete knowledge about them. Hence, the principle of honesty does not allow the work force and staff members in respect of damaging the reputation of a staff member on the one hand, and the customers and clients on the other. Similarly, Do Not Harm Principle forbids the individuals to hit or harm other members of society for their personal benefits or for the sake of enjoyment. Furthermore, the Principle of Autonomy seeks independence of others, where the individuals should not be suppressed or stopped from exercising their free will in their personal matters. In addition, moral values lay stress upon maintenance of the privacy of others, where the co-workers should just consult one another in the matters related to the office business, instead of aiming at targeting the colleagues or customers just for the sake of pleasure or jealousy against the successful members of the organization at large. In the light of three principles of morality, false propaganda against Lilly displays the co-workers’ violation of the terms and conditions implicitly mentioned in the by-laws of the company. A strict warning would be issued to them in the staff meeting in order to eradicate such unethical, indecent and non-professional conduct against others. Consequently, being the sales manager of the company, I will not only enquire into the misconduct of the staff members, but on finding them guilty, I will certainly warn them regarding their irresponsibility and professional misconduct. The reason behind announcing punishment or penalty or both to the negligent personnel includes his/her being the part of society and organization as well. Since society does not let its members to demonstrate such type of ill-mannered conduct, I will exercise strictness in order to save the ruination of the reputation and credibility of the organization subsequently. As a manager, I will strictly observe the Devlin school of thought, which submits to state that the nature and intensity of the punishments and penalties in case of damaging the good name and fame of others must be equivalent to breaking of the statute of law due to the very reality that moral law protects the society from being the prey of destruction of values, mores, norms, traditions, cult and customs, on the foundation of which the entire society appears to be standing. Since Lilly has been performing her professional duties and obligations very skillfully and dedication, I would not let her career to get ruined on the basis of false allegations. Thus, I will warn, punish, penalize and even fire an employee found in any kind of false propaganda in the premises of my administration. Q 4: The most challenging aspect of the case under examination for me personally is this no member from the entire staff could gather any evidence in support of Lilly’s entering into sexual relationship with the customer altogether. Consequently, the entire story against her reputation was fabricated on the basis of false sayings and just rumors, which were communicated from one co-worker to the other on baseless grounds. Being one of the best sales personnel of the organization, there could appear many enemies, who could make attempts to defame the lady in order to create impediments on her fast climbing the career ladder. In addition, being a responsible professional as well as a married woman, there could be rare chances of her getting involved with some other man, as observing of such acts will not only destroy her career life, but would also ruin her happy married life subsequently. Consequently, Lilly could not make such mistakes, particularly under the environment in which there were some witnesses of her purported misconduct. In addition, Lasky serves as one of the most trusted customers of the company, and has been doing his business with our organization for the last many years, during the course of which the organization did not trace out any immorality or irregularity in his conduct. His account here with our organization is the largest one to all other customers. It is therefore, the company not only relies upon him, but also offers him privileges and tour facilities as a respectable customer. Thus, personally, I cannot expect such an irresponsible behavior from him, which could damage the reputation of the organization. As a result, instead of listening to the false words against a well-reputed and successful salesperson, as well as the trust-worthy customer, I will keep Lilly’s excellent work record and Lasky’s business ventures in view, so that the company could be saved from dirty politics aptly observed by some black sheep in almost every organization of the world. I had also experienced almost similar state of affair in my previous work place, where a large majority of the staff was consisted of male members. However, the boss had developed cordial relationship with the employees, and used to give them due respect and attention, and had high opinion about them. The boss had introduced strict policy of minding their own business on the staff members, and they were not allowed to meddle with the matters of others. Somehow, some of the employees communicated disinformation about a male member of sales team that he tried to develop relations with female customers during his sales ventures and while entering into interaction with them. The boss transferred that salesperson to some other department instead of terminating his services. Consequently, he hit two birds with one stone i.e. in case the rumors about his affairs with women were based on disinformation, the sales personnel did not lose his job; secondly, if the rumors maintained validity in them, the new work environment would not allow him to exercise the same while dealing with the customers. Hence, the boss in my previous work place applied intelligence, which reflected his broad vision and experience in the corporate sector. Read More