Chapter 8

Ethical Problems of Managers

Contents: (Please note: the Instructor Guide for every chapter will follow this structure.)

  1. Chapter Outline
  2. Teaching Notes
  3. In-Class Exercises
  4. Homework Assignments
  5. Additional Resources

Chapter Outline

  1. Introduction

A. Managers and Employee Engagement

  1. Managing the “Basics”
  1. Hiring and Work Assignments
  2. Performance Evaluation
  3. Discipline
  4. Terminations
  5. Why Are These Ethical Problems?
  6. Costs
  1. Managing a Diverse Workforce
  1. Diversity
  2. Harassment
  3. Family and Personal Issues
  4. Why Are These Ethical Issues?
  5. Costs
  1. The Manager as Lens
  1. The Buck Stops with Managers
  2. Managers Are Role Models
  1. Managing Up and Across
  1. Honesty is Rule One
  2. Standards Go Both Ways
  1. Conclusion
  1. Discussion Questions
  1. Short Cases

Teaching Notes - Discussion Questions

1. Why is employee engagement important?

Employee engagement is critical to organizations, because it is the primary indicator of productivity. Employee productivity is all about customer service, quality products and services, and being prudent with organizational and human resources. Managers are the most critical element in encouraging employee engagement.

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • Is it important to companies that people are inspired to do their best work? Why?
  • What impediments are there to people being engaged and productive? What conditions in a work place could cause employees to become disengaged or disenchanted with their work? Or with the company?

2. How does employee engagement relate to organizational culture? How do managers contribute to the ethical culture?

Strong, healthy organizational cultures build engagement levels. Managers are the prime communicators of the culture to employees. They help set goals for employees, determine expectations, evaluate performance and determine rewards. They are the ones who communicate what is important and what is not, and what is rewarded and what is punished.

Probes to Stimulate Discussion:

  • What role does a manager play in communicating corporate culture to employees?
  • What specific activities do managers engage in that communicate culture to employees?
  • Is it possible to have a manager misaligned with the general corporate culture? If it is, what effect would that have on employees who report to that manager? What would be more influential with employees: the organizational culture or the manager?

3. In addition to identifying and training good managers, what else could an organization do to increase levels of employee engagement?

Smart organizations understand that employee engagement is the result of a comprehensive effort to build a healthy work place. Certainly it involves hiring and training talented managers. But it also requires a myriad of other factors including: family-friendly corporate policy; flexible work schedules; equitable rewards; goal setting that incorporates values and ethics; ethical leadership, etc.

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • Is it possible for someone to have an awful manager and still be engaged?
  • If you were to design an engaged organization from scratch, what would you include and why?
  • What could an organization do that would absolutely kill engagement?

4. What specific action could a manager take to try to move employees up the employee engagement continuum – for example, from not engaged to actively engaged?

Once an employee is disengaged, it is very difficult to move him or her up the continuum to engaged. Like building a reputation, building engagement takes a lot of sustained, consistent effort over a long period of time. And sometimes, it cannot be done at all. However, since engagement is rooted in trust, activities that engender trust will also promote engagement: telling the truth, kindness, openness, inspiration, fairness, building a relationship, etc.

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • Are some people just naturally engaged or disengaged – regardless of what a company or a manager does?
  • What would you do, if an actively disengaged employee was transferred into a department that you manage? Is there anything you need to look out for?
  • What risks might disengaged employees pose to an organization?

5. Why should performance be measured as an on-going process, and not just as a once-a-year event?

Performance evaluation is probably a manager’s most important job. One key reason why it should be an ongoing process is that feedback must be timely, in order to have any impact on a subordinate’s behavior. Most managers know this, but they are uncomfortable giving negative feedback, so they put it off. By the time they find themselves doing an annual performance review, neither the manager nor the subordinate can remember the details. It is not fair to say, “I haven’t been satisfied with your performance this year.” You have not provided ongoing feedback that would give the subordinate specifics and a chance to change.

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • “What are the barriers to continuous performance appraisal?"
  • "Should peers evaluate one another's performance? What are the advantages and disadvantages?" (Many companies are using 360-degree performance appraisals.)
  • "Should workers evaluate the performance of their managers? What are the advantages and disadvantages?"
  • "Should such evaluations be confidential (the identity of the reviewer unknown to the person being evaluated)?"

6. Should high performers be allowed to work by rules that are different from those that apply to other workers? Why or why not?

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • "If star employees are exempt from the rules that govern other employees, how can you explain it to other employees?"
  • "Are there certain employees who deserve to have different rules?"
  • "What happens when workers violate the rules?"
  • "What happens when "stars" violate the rules? If there is a difference, is it fair?"

7. Imagine that you are the manager of a facility where 200 layoffs are scheduled. Design an action plan for how the layoffs would occur. How would you handle those who are being laid off and the survivors?

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • "Should any employees get early notification?"
  • "Who can help you plan the layoff?"
  • "Will everyone hear at the same time?"
  • "When will the press be notified?"
  • "Who will give effected employees the news? How? Where? When?"
  • "How will you motivate workers who are remaining with the company?"
  • "If you need to lay off workers six months from now, how can you notify them now and yet encourage them to stay for a six-month period?"
  • “Put yourself in employees’ shoes. What will make the layoff seem fair?”

8. Are there ways in which managers can avoid harassment issues among employees who report to them? What would your strategy be?

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • "If you work in a male-dominated industry, do you need to be especially vigilant about this issue?"
  • "How can you get senior management support regarding this issue?"
  • "Should you talk to employees individually about this topic or in a group?"
  • "If you believe an employee is harassing a coworker, how would you discipline the employee?"

9. Imagine that someone who reports to you is on a prescription medication that makes his breath smell like alcohol. How would you handle this situation?

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • "How can you protect his or her rights (especially to privacy) and yet prevent your customers from thinking a worker is an alcoholic?"
  • "How would you counsel this employee? What would you say?"
  • "Could you ask someone else to counsel this employee?"
  • "Could you insist that this employee have no customer contact?"

10. Imagine that one of your employees complained that a coworker was harassing him or her. Also, imagine that you suspect the motives of the person who is complaining to you. How would you handle the situation? Is there a way you could discern motivation, or does it matter? When would you involve your company’s human resources department?

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • “Is it up to you to analyze motivation in this case?”
  • “What questions might you ask the person who has brought the issue to you?”

11. As a manager, how would you respond when a worker’s performance has declined and you suspect a problem at home is the cause?

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • “Is an employee’s home life your business? Should privacy be a concern?
  • “What questions might you ask the person?”
  • “Would you involve human resources? When?”

12. List ways you can communicate your standards to your employees and to your peers.

Probes to Stimulate Discussion

  • "Are there any situations you can think of where it is natural to communicate standards?"
  • "Can you help employees establish their own standards?"
  • "Can peers get together and agree to standards? What are the advantages and disadvantages?"

In-Class Exercises

General Note to Instructors:

For many of the ethical issues in this chapter, it may be difficult to do what one thinks is right, because of the sensitive communications that must take place. It is difficult for most people, especially inexperienced students, to give negative feedback for example, or talk with an employee about a personal problem that seems to be interfering with work. We suggest that this chapter and its cases are perfect for role playing exercises. Involve students in role playing, so that they can practice their communication skills and get feedback from you and their classmates. After you get some consensus on what is the right thing to do, ask students if they would have difficulty actually doing it. If so, ask people to role play the characters in the case.

Case # 1 -- Hiring and Work Assignments:

You are planning to hire a new sales manager and one of the leading candidates is really homely. You are concerned about how your customers – and even his colleagues -- would react to him. The specific job he is applying for requires extensive customer contact and his appearance is frankly disconcerting. On the other hand, his credentials are excellent and he is certainly qualified for the job.

Notes:

In the classes where this scenario has been used, students invariably laugh over the "homely" aspect. However, when asked how things would change, if the candidate were deaf, or overweight, or longhaired, or scarred, students begin taking the issue more seriously.

Case #2 -- Performance Evaluation

You were recently promoted to manager of a department with five professionals and two clerical staff. One of the professionals, Joe, is a nice guy, but he simply has not been able to match the performance of the others in the department. When he tells you he has been interviewing for another job in a different part of your company, you pull his personnel file and see that your predecessor had rated Joe's performance as "good to excellent." You frankly disagree. Joe has asked you for a recommendation. Based on the written appraisals, you could give him a good one -- but your personal observation is at odds with the written evaluations. Joe's prospective manager -- your peer in another department -- asks for your opinion. What do you say?

Notes:

Many managers do not see this as an ethical issue, which, of course, it is. They say that getting Joe out of their department does not hurt anyone, and in fact may help Joe in the long run. After giving the issue some thought, however, most managers agree that Joe needs to be properly evaluated before a transfer can take place, even if it is more difficult for the manager. Honesty with Joe about the kind of evaluation you can give him is the most ethical route and best for all concerned in the long run. Joe will have an opportunity to improve and another department will not be stuck with a mediocre employee, when they thought they were getting a good one.

Case #3 – Discipline

Steven is a salesman who reports to you -- the regional director of sales for an office supply company. He has a great track record and has consistently surpassed his sales targets, but he has one terrible flaw: he is not on time for anything. He is late both for meetings with you and for lunches with clients, and the problem extends to his paperwork. His expense reports, sales reports -- everything is handed in a week late. As his manager, you have counseled him about his tardiness and he has improved. Now instead of being 15 minutes late for a meeting, he is only five minutes late. And instead of submitting his expenses a week late, they are only two days late. His lateness seems minor in view of his achievements, but it is driving you and his co-workers crazy.

Notes:

While this issue is common just about everywhere, it is a real issue in industries like investment banking. "Star" employees can bring in or make millions of dollars for their companies, and they are generally very well compensated for their efforts. They can also think they are more valuable than other employees (and they may be) and that they do not have to follow the same rules as everyone else. It takes a very strong leader to keep these characters in tow. Without senior management discipline, these "stars" can become real "monsters."

Case #4 – Terminations

You are a manager in a large commercial bank. You discover that Patricia, a loan officer who reports to you, has forged an approval signature on a customer loan, which requires signatures from two loan officers. When you confront Pat with the forgery, she apologizes profusely and says that her husband has been very ill. The day she forged the signature, he was going into surgery and she just did not have time to find another loan officer to sign the authorization for the loan. Pat has been with your bank for 15 years and has a spotless record.

Notes:

This real case resulted in termination and caused a lot of angst for the manager who had to do the firing. But, this kind of behavior simply cannot be tolerated in a financial institution. Forgery is one of the biggest "sins" an employee can commit in a company, especially a financial firm. Appeals would get an employee nowhere in a situation like this one. Patricia could have avoided the debacle by asking for help. If she had admitted to her manager that she could not get the other signature, he or she could have helped her. It is a sad case, but there is really no excuse for her behavior.

Case #6 – Diversity

One of your best customers is a very conservative organization -- a real "white-shirt" company. Reporting to you is David, a very talented African-American, who could benefit greatly from working with this customer account -- and the customer account would benefit greatly from David's expertise and creativity. The issue is that David dresses in vibrant colors and wears a kufi, an African skullcap. Your company long ago recognized David's brilliance, and his dress within the company is not an issue. But you know your customer would react to David's attire with raised eyebrows.

Notes:

Most students and employees are savvy enough to understand this particular issue and see the need to support this employee in his choice of dress. Change the situation slightly and substitute a different sort of variation from the norm and you may get a very different reaction. Suppose all of the following employees are extremely competent and well groomed. Which might you hesitate to bring into a client meeting? A 65-year old female; a deaf male who reads lips; a man or woman who weighs 300 pounds; a dwarf or someone extremely tall; a man with a beard; a woman with a discernible mustache; someone in a wheelchair? Is there any justification for judging a coworker by appearance or disability and not bringing them to a client meeting, if they are otherwise qualified? In the case of David, one can simply alert the client to his brilliance and his dress in advance, so there are no surprises.

Case # 7 – Harassment

Your profession has been traditionally a male-dominated one and Marcia is the only woman in your department. Whenever Sam -- your senior engineer-- holds staff meetings, he and the other males in the department compliment Marcia profusely. They say things like, "It's hard for us to concentrate with a gorgeous woman like you in the room," or "You've got to stop batting your eyelashes at us, or the temperature in this room will trigger the air conditioning." They compliment her apparel, her figure, her legs and her manner of speaking. Although flattering, their remarks make her feel uncomfortable. She has mentioned her discomfort to you on several occasions, and you have told Sam and the others to cut it out. They just laughed and told you that Marcia was too sensitive. You think that while Marcia was being sensitive, she did have justification for being upset about her co-workers' remarks.

Notes:

This is probably the most common form of sexual harassment, although many people are simply complimented and do not feel harassed. Since it is difficult (if not impossible) to know how people are going to react to this sort of banter, managers should nip this kind of thing in the bud.