Case of the Mysterous Roses

In our daily lives we interact with people from all walks of life. As individuals some of us set our own rules to live by, and as professionals we are given a set of guidelines to follow. Working in the Human Resource’s field there are many situations that may occur and we are forced to make difficult decisions. This ethics game simulation presented some examples that occur in the real world. There were two scenarios presented, “The Case of the Mysterious Roses”, and “The Case of the Cold Feet”.

These cases were both difficult to deal with, and allowed the managers use critical thinking skills to address both situations. The first scenario “The Case of the Mysterious Roses” there were several issues that arose; one is when a female employee began receiving roses from a secret admirer. One problem is that she believed the roses are from a male coworker, which made her uncomfortable. The employee feels the need to go to her supervisor for advice, and sends an email requesting a confidential meeting. In this scenario I am the supervisor, which reveals the other problem.

The issue at hand is how I will respond to the request. As the department supervisor I should respond to the request without compromising the integrity of myself or the company. As the supervisor and witnessing the activities that had taken place felt confident that there may be a possibility of sexual harassment accusation. In response to the email I felt that she could not give her a firm yes or no answer. The exercise allowed me to look at the situation and put my thoughts into perspective and ask myself what is my responsibility as a supervisor.

The ethical lens helped me to identify the primary stake holders, though both lens rights and responsibility, and results lens. These lens enabled me to make the decision. I was able to advise Gayle that, I am able to maintain confidentially on any personal matter; however if the issue is work related I may have to report it. I informed Gayle of the company policy on sexual harassment and advised her of her rights as an employees. I based my decision on my own professional experience, as my company has a zero tolerance for such behavior.

I could not guarantee 100% confidentially to the employee if there was an employee violating company policy. If I am aware of the situation and do not report it I would be just as guilty. In the second scenario “The Case of the Cold Feet” there was an issue in reference to an employee falsifying information on a report. The issue is brought to my attention and I must take a plan of action by using a different set of lenses, relationship and reputation lens. The exercise took me through multiple steps to identify how I would handle the situation.

In the relationship lens I decided to perform an in house investigation in reference to the allegations. My choice did not agree with the program and I was advised to consider my colleague’s reputation and allow him to clean up his act. That made me realize that I need to give others a chance to correct their mistakes. In the reputation lens I made that decision which allowed me to hold others accountable for their actions. In my professional life I would have given the employee to redeem him or herself before I would involve a manager.

In this scenario I believe I thought about it too long and chose an answer based on what I thought someone else wanted. After participating in both of these activities I believe that I can make better decisions when called up on. Using my critical thinking skills I can think outside the box and give others a chance while following company policy. Sexual harassment is a serious offence and it is a good idea to educate employees to avoid situations such as this.

The company that I work for as well as other companies, do not take this matter lightly. In the situation regarding falsifying documents is also a concern with organizations. The company that I work for does not tolerate this type of activity. Our policy states that if an employee is falsifying documentation that is immediate ground for termination. There are many situations that occur within an organization and with the help of a strong management team and policy to follow the company can be successful.