Critcal Essay on Ethics

Critical Essay on Ethics
Misty Filippelli
Communications in Organizations
Professor Bob Olson
June 1, 2009


Ethical Dilemma One:

Is the night shift at a manufacturing company safe to work at? Concerns of drug use on the production line leads a crew member to search for help without being a whistle-blower. The liaison has been chosen and ethical dilemmas are challenged by courage, ethics, and responsibility.
After reviewing and considering the ethical dilemmas set forth in Fundamentals of Organizational Communication, on page 126, number three read like this:
A crew member from the night-shift’s manufacturing group has come to you as her personnel liaison with concern about drug use on the production line. She won’t give you any specific details for fear of those involved finding out who has turned them in. She suggests that you should investigate immediately but warns against involving her in any way. She asks you not to tell the other personnel liaisons because the grapevine has it that one of them may be involved. (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, p. 126)

The liaison personnel listened to the crew members concerns over drug use on the production line; however the crew member refused any other details for fear of being found out. Now what do you do! How do you investigate immediately without help from upper management, but the crew member stated that other personnel liaisons could be involved. First of all I would have to consider the source (crew member) and see if there is a personal gain involved or something else going on. Then I would consider that if the employee is afraid of being found out, is everybody on the nightshift on drugs except her, and that is how they would know that she was the whistle blower? Internal communication specialists encounter information concerning personal problems of employees such as alcoholism or drug abuse. Are these specialists ever entitled to withhold information from the organization that pays their salary? All these questions and more have ethical implications for the behaviors of individuals and for overall organizational policy (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, pg. 121).
I was a human resource manager at a medical manufacturing company, and in this situation the identity of the employee would be kept confidential; moreover, I would find a resolution to the addressed problem as well. I do believe in privacy and privacy laws in order to protect others and to make our world a better place for all man kind. With that being said, courage is the first ethical responsibility that I would face; in addition I would seek out a supervisor from the day shift for help in resolving the unfortunate claim. Next I would without having to evaluate my own ethics to know what to do and to be responsible to get some resolution to the nightshift nightmare. A supervisor who has courage, ethics, and responsibility is an asset not only to the employees but the corporation itself.

Ethical Dilemma Two:
Ethics is our standards by which we live, and for myself, I really do not have to stop and think about what is right or wrong; however we all face challenges with our beliefs and ethics some time in our life, but when a situation arises that concerns your organization and your best friend things could become challenging. Again, ethical dilemmas are challenged by courage, ethics, and responsibility.
After reviewing and considering the ethical dilemmas set forth in Fundamentals of Organizational Communication, on page 127, number five read like this:
You have overheard a conversation between your manager and the manager of a department in which your best friend is employed. From their conversation, it is apparent that your friend is not pleasing her manager and she will definitely be passed over for the promotion she badly wants. You don’t want to see her hurt, and you happen to know she has a job offer from another group within your organization. Should you tell her about the conversation and urge her to take the new offer (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, pg. 127).
First of all I am very loyal to my friends, and yes without question I would inform my friend of the overheard conversation. Ethics, courage, and responsibility all play an important part. I would not want to hurt my friend by telling her that she is not getting the promotion; however on the other hand, I do not want my friend to lose the other offer either. For me the ethical decision to inform my friend was easy. I would think we would all want our friends, family, and organizations where we work to be upstanding ethical people with the courage to take on whatever responsibility they must to make effective ethical decisions no matter the situation. Finally, ethical dilemmas are no problem if handled with courage, ethics, and responsibility.

References
Shockley-Zalabak, Pamela S. (2009). Fundamentals of Organizational Communication: Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills, Values (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.