Case Study: A New Work Ethics
[Name of the Writer]
[Name of the Institution]
Case Study: A New Work Ethics
Introduction
Ethics in the workplace is essential for harmony and peaceful environment. Ethics in the workplace refer to the rules which govern the conduct of the organization (Ferrell, 2016). Ethics refers to the study of understanding the difference between right and wrong. These are the standards either in written form or unwritten form. The corporations have a different workforce with unique characteristics and approaches to find the solutions for work problems such as sourcing, and allocation of resources (Bejtkovský, 2016). The current labor market is composed of generation x, y and generation z. The difference between these generations can affect the ways of business recruit to develop a team, motivate them, boost productivity, competency, and deal with change. Generation z newly arrives at the workplace, they are showing different characteristics, they are more tended towards the use of the latest technology. The success of a business depends on the efficient utilization of different workforce. The generation z is more energetic and open to learning new ideas. However, they are showing less loyalty and mostly resist the conventional work environment. The success of the organization and getting a competitive advantage depends on the efficient utilization of the workforce. Organizations can manage the work ethics bu establishing the written rules which are properly communicated with all the employees. The work ethics is used for providing the best environment for the diverse workforce, to protect their norms, values, and differences. In the case of Sheehy's organization and his colleagues, the approach of employees is unethical and immoral. Most of the employees were teenagers and temporary employees who are mostly not loyal to the organization. The young employees belong to generation z who are not motivated by the conventional work environment. Their needs and motivational factors are different, Sheehy wanted to treat them in his management techniques. However, it produces the worst outcomes in terms of their lower job satisfaction, and they were less motivated by the ways Sheehy tried. Most of the employees working with Sheehy were teenagers, the college students working temporarily during their summer vacation to earn some profit. The workforce was highly diverse including staff from upper-income class, lower income class, female staff, and minority. Sheehy did not consider their diversity and tried to implement his management policy and work new work ethics code of conduct. The major issues of the organization were the lower job satisfaction of employees, resistance to the hard work. They were trying to find an easy way of doing things, and do not focus on hard work. Their loyalty was questionable, and the customer services were not up to the mark. The employees tried to get rid of the customers as soon as possible. The attitude of employees was negative, they were dragging the work out and trying to avoid other work activities. As the generation z is highly energetic and enthusiastic, however, it is a challenge for every organization to know how to manage the diverse workforce. The employees believed that the supervisors only do the paperwork and not contributing to the organization the way they do. They rejected to work hard for long hours within the organization suggested by their supervisors. This approach could lead the organization to losses and mismanagement. This study aims to investigate and analyze the reasons of unethical practices of employees within the workplace. Here we will thoroughly analyze the needs of a diverse workforce on the basis of their differences and similarities.
Stakeholder Analysis
The stakeholders of this case are the employees, management, and customers of the business. First, we will discuss the business, it involves the stake of the business owners, who have invested their capital to earn a profit. The stake of business is to survive and sustain in the long run. The aim of this business is to be effective and produce maximum profit for its shareholders. The success of a business depends on its management and team, which directly influence its performance. The employees expect an ideal work environment and better remunerations from the business. While the business needs a loyal and honest workforce, who can lead the business to success. A stakeholder can be a person, an organization, a social group, and the society at large. The stake of business is the stake of shareholders who are the actual owners of the business. Their stake is to take the business to success in terms of growth and expansion, and profit maximization. It can be referred to the agency theory where the shareholders are the principals and the management is the agent. The agent works on their behalf and runs the business activities by utilizing their expertise and management skills (French, 2015). The agency theory states that the management has their interests which lead to agency problems. The conflict of interest limits the scope of business. In the case of Sheehy case study, the employees are not satisfied and they don't follow the work ethics, so it can distract the stake of the organization. The goals and objectives of the organization cannot be fulfilled when any of the internal or external stakeholders is not performing their roles efficiently.
Another stakeholder of the organization is the management including the top management and the line managers. In this case, the role of Sheehy is discussed and he is referred to the top management of the organization. He developed a new policy of work ethics, and he wanted the employees to work hard and work for long hours. Sheehy is a loyal employee and he is concerned about the stake of the organization. However, he has been failed to properly deal with the employees and get work from them to lead the organization to survive and sustain. The role of management is to set laws and policies for the organization to smoothly run all its activities. He developed new work ethics policy which will restrict the employees from the misconduct and unethical practices that could harm the business in both the short run and long run. The stake of management is to implement the policy they developed and ensure the business to higher growth and profitability. The success of the organization will ensure their job security and other benefits for all the employees. The management has a vision and they understand the importance of business growth and sustainability. Unlike the workers and employees, they are loyal to the business, and they are trying hard for the survival of the business.
The third stakeholder which was discussed in this case are the employees. The role of employees is very important for the business. In this case, the employees had certain issues which created tension for employers. The management has failed to resolve their issues and create a positive and cooperative work environment. The employees are from different background and especially they are young generation z employees. They have different needs and expectations of the workplace. They were demotivated due to the repetition of tasks and they believed that they are not acquiring new knowledge and learnings. They were not showing loyalty towards the organization and involved in certain unethical activities. Though they had certain problems which the organization has to address, however, their attitude toward their jobs and with the customers was not acceptable. Being the young college students they expect new learning environment and some activities of fun. They were exhausted from the work burden and the environment provided by the organization. There were no sources of refreshment and fun, so before implementing the strict work environment management has to address their issues.
The most important stakeholder for a business is its customers. Every business aims to fulfill the needs and expectations of its customers. Customers are the only external stakeholder we discuss in this case study. Other external stakeholders are the suppliers, distributors, government, society, and other regulatory authorities. In the case of Sheehy, the employees were not loyal and they did not treat their customers in the way they should be treated. The success of the business is directly influenced by its customer's satisfaction. The customers are the source of generating revenue for the organization and they are the only source for the survival and sustainability of the business.
Analysis based on ethical theories
In this case, the issues were related to organizational ethics. The employee's attitude towards the work was unethical and created many problems for the organization. However, there for fair analysis, we will analyze the role of management towards the employees. As the employees were mostly young, women, and minorities, so this diverse culture needs more attention and flexibility from the top management. The employees were not ready to work hard and work for long hours. They avoid hard work and tried to avoid their duties and responsibilities. According to the theory of egoism every person has its own self-interest and they are trying to pursue their personal interest (Rodriguez, 2017). The interest of employees was to earn money and spend their time, they were not loyal to achieve the business objectives. They were temporary employees so they were not interested to secure their future with this organization. They were not ready to scarify their personal interests for the betterment of the organization. The role of Sheehy was also questionable because he tried to get work hard from the employees, and compelled them to follow strict rules of ethics, however, he did not address the needs and concerns of the employees. Most of the employees were exhausted and there was nothing to learn for them at a broader level. There was no motivation from the management, the employees were young and mostly belonged to generation z, which are highly energetic but needed to guide and motivated properly. The problem needed an appropriate response to the ethical concerns by considering the ethical theories and practices. According to the management theories, the employees are motivated and their needs are fulfilled so they can produce better results. According to the theory x of motivation, the employees should be rewarded not punished, by rewarding the top performers the lower performers get motivated and thus the environment of the organization will evolve. The theory of Deontology of ethics he management has to treat their employees in the right way regardless of their attitude. To inspire them with actions and produce better work environment. The deontological ethics theory emphasis on the relationship between the morality of the actions of employees in the organization and their duties.
Conclusion and Recommendations
After analyzing the case of Sheehy, I will recommend according to the ethical theories and practices, some actions which could lead their organization to the right track. Some of these recommendations include:
The management should acknowledge and understand the needs of a diverse workforce. They could be treated differently, their motivational factors are different from each other. In this case, most of the employees were teenagers belonged to the upper class and some were from the middle class. So they expected some fun and refreshment in the workplace according to their lifestyles.
The management has to motivate the employees with different rewards and providing them a better work environment. Some employees aim to learn different skills, while others motivate with intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. The intrinsic rewards are related to bonuses, compensations, salary, and other monetary gains. While the extrinsic rewards are the nation monetary rewards such as recognition, respect, admiration, appreciation, and other non-monetary rewards.
The management should set a proper HR manual, and business policy that should be implemented strictly, which will also include the rules to protect the rights of the employees.
All the rules and laws will be according to ethics, and there should be no unethical practices, such as nepotism, unfairness, discrimination, and injustice. The fair and positive work environment raise the motivation and job satisfaction of the employees. So they will perform their duties in the best possible way to satisfy their customers with all the zeal and zest.
Conclusion
The behavior of Sheehy with coworkers was influenced by the attitude of the employee towards their job. The employees show disrespect and unethical behavior to the customers of the business. They were not loyal and honest with the organization, as they tried to avoid their responsibilities. The employees violated all the ethical standards of business organizations, which compelled the management to develop strict work ethics policy. Sheehy is the supervisor and the part of management failed to analyze the causes of the said behavior. Though the behavior of Sheehy was not good with employees. The management tried to control the activities and behavior of employees with strict rules. However, it would not produce the expected results. The management needs to thoroughly analyze the needs and concerns of employees and find a possible solution through mutual consents. According to the management theories the business should first fulfill the needs of its employees and provide them a better work environment.
References
Bejtkovský, J. (2016). The employees of baby boomers generation, generation X, generation Y, and generation Z in selected Czech corporations as conceivers of development and competitiveness in their corporation. Journal of Competitiveness.
Ferrell, O. C. (2016). A framework for understanding organizational ethics. In Business ethics: New challenges for business schools and corporate leaders (pp. 15-29). Routledge.
French, P. A. (2015). Corporate moral agency. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, 1-3.
Rodríguez, C. (2017). A Quantitative Examination of the Relationship of Work Experience to Attitudes of Business Ethics in Graduate Students. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 14(3), 64-75.
