Professional Workplace Dilemma Paper
Professional Dilemma Paper
GEN/480
July 11, 2011
Professional Dilemma Paper In a professional capacity many face predicaments at work where the ethics of an organization are not in line with that of the employee. This may cause conflict for the individual or the organization. During my studies at University of Phoenix I have been involved with an experience that I believed was ethically irresponsible. The organization hierarchy, my responsibility as an employee, and new skills learned as a student contributed to the way I handled the situation. With my Bachelors program finished, I have even more insight of other options that may have been considered. The following paper details the experience I had. An ethical issue that I experienced is, the company I worked for sought out reasons to fire employees when they had been on a family medical leave (FMLA) or leave of absence (LOA). This organization would go and find poor work, absenteeism, and insubordination to write employees up for. The employees were terminated while on FMLA. The organization had an entire unofficial department for investigation of problems such as this. All managers were involved because we supplied most of the information. The director of workforce management (WFM) was involved. I believe other individuals were involved but I did not have firsthand knowledge or proof. I reported directly to the director of WFM and had interactive professional relationships with my peers, the other managers. The dilemma was that I was asked for information about attendance of the employees who I knew to be out on a FMLA or LOA. The information was requested by my direct supervisor the director of WFM. She was the only person responsible for my reviews and only once removed from the president of the organization. So there was not many in more authority than she. The ethics in question are that the law protects employees under the FMLA. However, if their performance is identified as not
GEN/480
July 11, 2011
Professional Dilemma Paper In a professional capacity many face predicaments at work where the ethics of an organization are not in line with that of the employee. This may cause conflict for the individual or the organization. During my studies at University of Phoenix I have been involved with an experience that I believed was ethically irresponsible. The organization hierarchy, my responsibility as an employee, and new skills learned as a student contributed to the way I handled the situation. With my Bachelors program finished, I have even more insight of other options that may have been considered. The following paper details the experience I had. An ethical issue that I experienced is, the company I worked for sought out reasons to fire employees when they had been on a family medical leave (FMLA) or leave of absence (LOA). This organization would go and find poor work, absenteeism, and insubordination to write employees up for. The employees were terminated while on FMLA. The organization had an entire unofficial department for investigation of problems such as this. All managers were involved because we supplied most of the information. The director of workforce management (WFM) was involved. I believe other individuals were involved but I did not have firsthand knowledge or proof. I reported directly to the director of WFM and had interactive professional relationships with my peers, the other managers. The dilemma was that I was asked for information about attendance of the employees who I knew to be out on a FMLA or LOA. The information was requested by my direct supervisor the director of WFM. She was the only person responsible for my reviews and only once removed from the president of the organization. So there was not many in more authority than she. The ethics in question are that the law protects employees under the FMLA. However, if their performance is identified as not
References: Kelly, E. L. (2010). Failure to Update: An Institutional Perspective on Noncompliance With the Family and Medical Leave Act. Law & Society Review, 44(1), 33-66. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5893.2010.00395.x The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management. (2011). Ethics Awareness Inventory. Retrieved from The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, GEN/480 Interdisciplinary Capstone Course website.