Ethics in Action Reflection
A dilemma is a case that calls for a person to think, decide and make a choice between two or more options. The options are in many cases, perplexing, hard and undesirable. Bret and Caroline are employees in the same organization. They have always ensured a cordial relationship at work, are supportive and hardworking towards the realization of set goals by organization.
When Bret, notices a huge waste pile that is disposed at the parking lot corner, he approaches Caroline for managerial advice. However, Caroline does not offer the anticipated support that Brett needed. As opposed, she burdens Brett with the duty and activities that the organization is in a position to pay someone to carry out. She asks Brett to get help from his colleagues to move the pile behind the parking lot to a construction nearby.
Her decision puts Brett in an impasse. He has to think, decide and make a choice as to whether the option presented by Caroline’s advice is right or wrong. First of all, he has to pass the hassle and costs of moving the waste pile to his friends. He also has to explain to her that no one knows who dumped the pile from the dry wood behind the organization premise and therefore, the organization has to spare some money and pay someone to appropriately dispose the dirt.
My personal reaction to the impasse was same to that of my team members. First of all, the team did an incredible job of identifying and further expounding on the dilemma. They also applied the concepts of right or wrong in choosing the most ideal option that Brett should have settled for. First they needed to identify Brett as a moral employee who reports to work on time.
Secondly, they affirmed that he was right in reporting the matter to the boss. This is based on the fact that other staff members would have simply chosen to ignore it till someone else notices. The members of the team conversely characterized their boss as an ethical employer and a manager. This was a result of her decision to give some time off to Brett to attend to his personal needs. She further decided to have the waste disposed in the right way that waiting for the city.
Even so, they termed Caroline’s decision as wrong in tasking Brett to take the responsibility of handling office issues. The huge pile waste dumped as a result of a demolition at the back of the organization’s parking lot attracted a lot of attention from the entire company. Brett as a result was ethical and right in noticing the waste and reporting it to his boss.
Caroline however did not make or chose the right managerial decision. It was neither ethical nor right for her to ask Brett to get advice from his friends in addressing office issues. The team members also agreed that Caroline needed to have given some cash to Brett to pay his friends.
Caroline should also not have assumed that Brett’s colleagues would be free to dispose yet the organization was more than capable of paying. What’s more, she passes the responsibility of the organization to a junior staff member without paying him. I was further disappointed by the fact that my team members did not realize and list the organization as a shareholder.
When Caroline called the city, she was informed that it is the responsibility of the organization to dispose dry wall waste pile properly. Therefore, she should have reported the issue to her seniors. They would have forced the construction company to dispose the pile in the right manner. They would consequently have allocated an ideal amount from the organization to cover the costs of disposal.
The feedback that I and my team received forced me to consider a deeper reflection on the case we presented. Based on our evaluation, I realized our weaknesses and strengths. Our strengths included the capability to realize a dilemma while ensuring a responsible and open minded attitude. The team focused this case into theories and topics that we had tackled in class.
We also realized the risks and decisions needed in making the right decisions that Brett would have settled for. We also as a team thought on more significant stakeholders in the case. We realized that ensuring a clean working environment and good working relationships between a manager and a staff member is very essential. Even so, Caroline should have assumed using the assets of the organization.
On the other hand, our weaknesses included lack of vital decisions and options that Brett would settle for. Our options were limited to three alternatives. Our first option was for Brett to pass the task and cost of disposing the waste pile to his friends. The second option was for him to ask Caroline to allocate some cash to cater for the costs of pile disposal in the right way. Brett lastly would have openly informed Caroline that it was wrong to pass the task to his friends.
There are also many things that took me by surprise after carrying out the task. I was surprised that my team members settled for the last option. Even so, they were not willing to offer an explanation for their decision. I was also taken by surprise that they questioned Caroline’s decision of not asking the construction company to dispose the pile properly. They appeared to forget that neither Caroline nor Brett would affirm that the pile was from the construction company.
To enhance our recommendation, we should focus more on our third option. Brett should have opposed Caroline’s decision. He should have however offer an explanation based on the long term implications of her proposal. Caroline should have first considered approaching the construction company to confirm that pile was indeed from their site.
She should have also asked the company to properly dispose it as it would permanently address the issue since the company would not in the future dispose any pile within the organization’s premises. Brett therefore, should have further explained to Caroline that cannot for his friends to settle such issues on behalf of the organization. It was additionally not ethical and fair for her to involve people outside within the company to solve internal issues freely.
Caroline should have settled for the fact that if Brett and his friends were to address the issue, the construction company would keep on disposing wood piles within the premises of the organization. This would continually present Brett and his colleagues with the issue. This is based on the fact that Caroline would expect him to ask his colleagues to ask his friends to dispose the waste without using financial assets of the organization.
Brett therefore, should have explained to her that it was essential to generate a permanent solution to the issue without making assumptions. This kind of exercise showed me that I am persistent. To create the options that Brett would have for, we needed to spend a lot of hours in discussion. I patiently waited with my friends until we reached a more ideal option.
Secondly, I learnt that it can be quite detrimental to address issues in our society. I have also picked and disposed litter at home and at school. I however think that it is essential for a school or a community to explain the significance of personal duties. It can develop long term solutions to daily issues affecting our lives.