Free The Ethical Dilemma Essay Sample

This paper will discuss a problem that occurred at my work place a month ago. The business owner wanted to lay off workers to cut down on costs and increase the business profits. When I first heard of this, it gave me sleepless nights as the last thing I wanted to think of was finding another job. Having spent a whole year looking for a job after my graduation, I knew the hustles that one encounters in a job search. In this paper, I will first talk of the problems we encountered as we tried to find a way to lay down workers. Secondly, I will describe the critical thinking used in solving this dilemma and determine what influenced my view of the observed ethical dilemma. Lastly, I will provide an answer to the dilemma "How do we lay off some employees and maintain a good working relationship in the business?".

Days passed and I could not find sleep. On the fourth day, I found a letter on my desk, and, as I opened it, all I thought was where I would start again, since I believed that that was the letter to bid goodbye to me, a senior employee of this organization. To my surprise, that was a letter asking me to attend a board meeting that afternoon, which would entail a discussion on how the employees would be laid out. This gave me a bigger blow as I could not tell why they required my consent. I also did not know what my opinion would be since I did not wish for anyone to be jobless. I thought about it all morning and I still could not figure out what suggestion I would give, the worst part was that this would be at the expense of me losing the job if I had nothing valuable to offer concerning this.

I honored the invitation and I sat down to listen to what the board had to say.  We held a discussion on the reasons why cutting down on the labor cost was the most effective method of increasing profits of the business, since at this time the company had been experiencing many losses and inflation was at its peak. It was true the only way out was to do away with some workers. When asked to suggest the best method to be used in laying down the workers, silence filled the room; we had no idea on how to do that. We came in to an agreement that in our next meeting, we should all have ideas concerning this.

This was now a dilemma for all of us since one had to try their best not to come up with an idea that would compromise their intelligence. Days went on and I had no idea, yet the next meeting was scheduled as usual and we gathered again at the round table. It was now time to air the view we had; unfortunately, no one had gathered anything to say. It was now clear to everyone that this was a dilemma and some critical thinking had to come in handy. We agreed upon another date; this time we would invite professionals from other businesses to help us arrive at a decision that would be fair to everyone.

In the consequent meeting, we could not leave without arriving at a decision; hence, everyone’s voice needed to be heard. Truly, people had thought critically on this issue this time: the suggestions were many and all that we required was to arrive at the one which would turn out the best. These were already some suggestions that were conceivable. Some advised to retain all employees and reduce their salaries, but this faced a lot of opposition. Others suggested that some departments in the business should be eliminated, meaning the dismissal of all those in that department. Well, this did not catch the attention of many because there was no compelling reason why a department should be dissolved.

The best idea was to change the method of payment in the sales department. Their basic salary decreases and additional payment will depend on the sales that one makes in a day. One would get a commission on the number of goods they have sold. The basic salary was to support them for five months; therefore, at the end of the fifth month one would totally depend on the commission. This idea was brilliant since these people had studied sales and marketing and that was their line of work, which means they have the skills required for good sales. This would not leave anyone complaining since that was their duty in the company. At the end of the five months, we were sure most of them would willingly resign from work, once they realize that they could not fully depend on the commission they get. Those who would continue would be of enormous advantage to the business, as they may bring about a tremendous increase in the company’s profits.  

Arriving at this idea was midst many challenges. This dilemma made me realize how vital the knowledge is. Over the years, the procedures used in cutting down the labor cost have depended on the interest of directors. I changed my stand on this since we arrived at a fair decision. Many things influenced this ethical dilemma. Laying down of workers in an unfair way would have tarnished the business’s name. All this would result in poor work relationship between the employer and employees, between the employees themselves, between outsiders and the business, and even the relationship between the business and the government.

If workers were laid out depending on their religion, conflict between the business and the religion dismissed would follow. People would even tend to view the company in terms of religion not what it offers for goods and services. The directors could have decided to do away with the employees with whom they had no blood relation or those who came from a different culture. If this had taken place, the company would have collapsed, since they would then be limiting themselves to a community, hence the sales would only take place in one region. Dismissal of the employees could also involve politics, where all those who support a different party from that of their boss would be laid out. All this would have led to an unfair dismissal of the workers with an impact being more negative than positive. Therefore, to arrive at a solution, all this had to be considered so as to retain smart business ethics.

Every business has to maintain healthy relationships among all those concerned with its development. Good decision making should be maintained so that the business policies do not favor a group of the company at the expense of the entire company. The right solution to this dilemma will positively impact the business, and the employees who would have leave will have nothing against the board of directors. The leadership of this company will not be at question since they carried out a fair process. For one to manage a business in the best way, there has to be a solid foundation and excellent education on how to be an intelligent leader. Many businesses collapse since the management lacks knowledge of proper business ethics. Poor management in businesses will slow down development; therefore, intelligent management should be encouraged at all costs.

 

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