Tutorial 14
Group Activities
1. Working in groups, interview managers or administrators at your
employer or college in order to determine the extent to which the
employer or college endeavors to build two-way communication, and
the specific types of programs used. Do the managers think they are
effective? What do the employees (or faculty members) think of the
programs in use at the employer or college? Encourage students to be
precise and inquisitive in their pursuit of this information. (LO 14.2;
AACSB: Analytic Skills; Learning Outcome: Describe the role of human
resource management in promoting ethics and fairness)
2. Working in groups, obtain copies of the student handbook for your
college and determine to what extent there is a formal process
through which students can air grievances. Based on your contacts
with other students, has it been an effective grievance process?
Why or why not? Ask what effect this has on the sense of organizational
justice. (LO 14.4; Learning Outcome: Describe the role of human resource
management in promoting ethics and fairness)
Discussion Questions
1. Explain how you would ensure fairness in disciplining, discussing
particularly the prerequisites to disciplining, disciplining guidelines,
and the discipline without punishment approach. There are many
things that can be helpful: • Make sure the evidence supports the charge
of employee wrongdoing. • Ensure that the employee’s due process rights
are protected. • Warn the employee of the disciplinary consequences. •
The rule that was allegedly violated should be “reasonably related” to the
efficient and safe operation of the particular work environment. • Fairly and
adequately investigate the matter before administering discipline. • The
investigation should produce substantial evidence of misconduct. • Rules,
orders, or penalties should be applied evenhandedly. • The penalty should
be reasonably related to the misconduct and to the employee’s past work
history. • Maintain the employee’s right to counsel. • Don’t rob a
subordinate of his or her dignity. • Remember that the burden of proof is
on you. • Get the facts. Don’t base a decision on hearsay or on your
general impression. • Don’t act while angry. • Create a formalized appeals
process. • Make sure all rules and policies are communicated and clearly
explained in advance. (LO 14.4; AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills;
Learning Outcome: Describe the role of human resource management in
promoting ethics and fairness)
2. Why is it important in our highly litigious society to manage
dismissals properly? If you do not follow the law and your own policies
and procedures, then you are likely to have the courts rule against you.
This can be very costly and damaging to employee morale and your
reputation. (LO 14.5; AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills; Learning
Outcome: Describe the role of human resource management in promoting
ethics and fairness)
3. What techniques would you use as alternatives to traditional
discipline? What do such alternatives have to do with “organizational
justice”? Why do you think alternatives like these are important,
given industry’s need today for highly committed employees? If you
are going to attract and retain top quality employees, it is critical to have a
strong sense of organizational justice. Disciplinary techniques and
methods can be related to the legal techniques and methods in our society
at large. If they work well, people believe justice is served. If the do not
work well, people feel there is injustice. (LO 14.4; Learning Outcome:
Describe the role of human resource management in promoting ethics and
fairness)
4. Provide three examples of behaviors that would probably be
unethical but legal, and three that would probably be illegal but
ethical. While most students think of ethical behavior, they think of rules
for distinguishing between right and wrong, such as the Golden Rule ("do
unto others as you would have them do unto you"), a code of professional
conduct like the Hippocratic Oath ("first of all, do no harm"). But the
difference between ethical/unethical and legal/illegal behavior can become
blurred and often debated. Here are several examples to help make the
distinction more clear. (LO 14.1; AACSB: Analytic Skills; Learning
Outcome: Describe the role of human resource management in promoting
ethics and fairness)
Unethical but legal
o Submitting the same paper for two different course assignments
o Listing information on your resume that is incorrect in order to
obtain a job which you might not otherwise be qualified
o Performing non-work-related activities when you are being paid
by your employer
Illegal but ethical
o Operating a motor vehicle while over your state’s legal limit for
alcohol intoxication
o Stopping at a red light but then proceeding through the
intersection before you receive the green light
o Driving over the legal speed limit
5.
List 10 things your college or university does to encourage ethical
behavior by students and/or faculty. Answers will vary by college, but
the use of multiple test forms, policies, ethics courses, and software to
identify plagiarism are examples common to most colleges. (LO 14.2;
AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills; Learning Outcome: Describe the role of
human resource management in promoting ethics and fairness)
6.
You need to select a nanny for your or a relative’s child, and want
someone ethical. Based on what you read in this chapter, what would
you do to help ensure you ended up hiring someone ethical? Asking
questions about values, and paying attention to both the answers and the
nonverbals that accompany them, finding out how the nanny acted in past
situations and clarifying expectations as fully as possible will all go a long
way toward ensuring that the nanny is ethical. (LO 14.2-3; AACSB:
Analytic Skills; Learning Outcome: Describe the role of human resource
management in promoting ethics and fairness)
7.
You believe your employee is being insubordinate. How would you
verify this and what would you do about it if true? It is important to
conduct a full investigation of suspicions. Asking trusted employees for
feedback on performance in the unit on a regular basis often will assist in
clarifying where problems exist. Once the allegations are clear, meeting
with the employee to discuss the situation, and their reasons for it is
crucial. Depending on the situation, the reasons, and the severity of the
offense, progressive discipline would be the next step. (LO 14.5;
AACSB: Analytic Skills; Learning Outcome: Describe the role of human
resource management in promoting ethics and fairness)
8. Several years ago Wal-Mart instituted a new scheduling system that
makes it more difficult for its employees to know for sure what hours
they would be working. Basically, the store supervisor calls them at
the last minute if there’s an opening for that day. Based on what you
read in this chapter, is the new system ethical? Why or why not? Is it
fair? What would you do if you were a Wal-Mart employee? If
employees have a clear understanding of the system, and they know what
the rules are regarding availability, then it would seem that the system is
ethical. However, asking that an employee reserve the time and then
sending them home for reasons beyond their control does not seem fair.
Wal-Mart employees are likely to express their dissatisfaction with
increased turnover, which will result in higher recruiting and training costs
for the store. (LO 14.4; AACSB: Reflective Thinking Skills; Learning
Outcome: Describe the role of human resource management in promoting
ethics and fairness)