Evaluation of Personal Risks when Facing an Ethical Dilemma

In the modern business environment, managers are supposed to consider peoples rights and interests. Oftentimes, the decision-makers should be able to solve ethical dilemmas that can come up unexpectedly due to different reasons. In general, organizational leaders face pressure and environmental challenges that put them under ethical risks because of the set ethical standards. The task of organizational leaders is to come up with the best solutions to be able to navigate these risks. The current paper aims to observe from what perspective I would approach this ethical dilemma with best custom papers.

A junior staff member came back to work after the special leave, which she took to care for her elderly mother. This woman needs to work full-time to be able to support her family. However, she has been experiencing difficulties with her personal and mothers care issues, which stood in her way of attending business meetings and she sometimes had to leave work earlier. Since she is a very competent employee, I tried to close my eyes to what was happening. However, her absences have put pressure on her team members, who often had to work extra hours. Consequently, some of employees, in particular, male colleagues, started making comments, such as a womans place is in the kitchen, putting her under even greater stress. Others tried to undermine her at every coming opportunity.

My Fundamental Principles

According to my personal ethical standards, I always try to follow integrity, confidentiality, and professional behavior. Thus, my duty is to treat all members of the staff in a straight forward manner and to be fair to all of them. Moreover, I need to be confidential to all employees, taking into consideration their moods, life circumstances, and problems. Finally, my professional behavior should coincide with my working and social status, in order to not discredit myself. A manager has responsibilities to reinforce strong performance in his or her employees. Therefore, the above-described ethical dilemma requires my immediate reaction and consideration. Although, the woman that has to take care of her elderly mother is a perfect employee, she must adhere to the organizational rules and regulations. Otherwise, the rest of the staff members may start to break discipline due to their private affairs too.

My Considerations

Many studies suggest that in order to successfully resolve an ethical dilemma, it is important to identify the relevant facts, such as the firms policies, legal assistance, procedures and guidelines, applicable laws and regulations. Moreover, in order to make a perfect solution, I must find out whether there is a staff handbook and who is responsible for similar issues. Next, I have identified the key affected parties, and come to the conclusion that they are myself, the junior staff member and her team members. I try to consider who, why, and when should be involved in the resolution. I should also identify whether my personal experience can allow me to give confidential advice or whether I should consult an external organization for help. Furthermore, a person should consider religious, political, and utilitarian pressures, which is placed in the differing workforce environments. Due to a high level of these uncertain conditions, it is often hard to resolve ethical dilemmas.

My Possible Course of Actions

This first step involves the evaluation of the current ethical climate and identifying the warning signals of corporate values, tied to the current events. It would be necessary to check the relevant facts, clarifying staff procedures and take legal advice. Many experts assert that communication is the greatest tool in the workplace that can lead to perfect solutions in different ethical dilemmas. Therefore, it would be helpful to discuss the matter with other employees, particularly with the senior staff members. As a rule, they have better expertise in their relative areas of expertise, including problem-solving of ethical dilemmas. Admittedly, to provide a dialogue with all staff members may be helpful in finding the most perfect solution. For instance, possible solutions may contain suggestions to implement a more flexible approach to business meetings. Thus, the staff members can shift these meetings to another time, instead of having them only in the mornings.

At times, a manager also needs to communicate with those staff members, who need to be reminded about a timely arrival to work and about a proper conduct in different situations. Thus, a mans remark about the place in society may be considered as a sexual discrimination that is in a break of the working code of conduct. Trying to identify a solution considering the issue, managers should demonstrate their professional behavior. Consequently, I must be acting fairly, attempting to resolve the dilemma faced by the woman who is responsible for her mothers care and towards other employees who complain about her absenteeism at business meetings held in the morning.

The next reasonable compromise in solving an ethical dilemma may be a discussion with team members, allowing the woman to explain what happened. After listening to her story, every staff member may give his/her personal considerations relating to the situation. Their response can help find a reasonable solution, which can satisfy both parties. Taking into consideration all the reasonable solutions, it is important to check her on-going employment and achievements in practice. Since, she is a very competent employee, I will try to find more advantages than disadvantages in her behavior. For instance, I can state that care for her elderly mother indicates to her positive human nature that is a valuable trait in todays business environment.

Various sources reveal that ethical decision-making (EDM) may be ill-defined, which results in pitiable consequences. Therefore, navigating these dilemmas requires proper representation and recognition of multiple data. It is also important to make the intuitive judgment about potential outcomes in order to avoid the pitfalls. However, considering the multifaceted nature of ethical issues, only the experienced manager can rely on the intuitive judgments, while newcomers should move beyond rational models to those that offer interpersonal and intuitive components of ethical decision-making. More rational models are needed to make ethical decisions because they emphasize the importance of leaders behavior when they interpret and construct ethical situations. The variety of interpretations that leaders develop from an ethical dilemma often results in failing.

According to the research, leaders who use sensemaking models can be more accurate in their judgments. Thus, during the sensemaking process, staff members should be engaged in a cognitive process, which encourages them to evaluate the dilemma with the woman being absent during the business meetings by comparing prior and current situational elements. Moreover, a mental model helps to understand the current situation. Therefore, I would find the better solution if I compare how internal and external factors influence the womans behavior. For example, when talking with employees about the ethical dilemma, I have to emphasize the womans benefits, encouraging them to take ownership of their own performance.

Ethical dilemmas have a multifaceted character that complicates their solutions. Dealing with an ethical dilemma, a person should evaluate personal risks due to the pressure and environmental challenges. It is important to adhere to ones personal ethical standards that should be constant in any situation. Therefore, managers should consider that any ineffective step can cause additional problems. It is necessary to find a middle circle, where all parties may receive benefits. Different theories exist to help make the proper solution, and the implementation of those theories depends on the particular staff and situation.