Business

Moira is fresh out of college and has very high ethical standards that she was taught in college.  When she enters the real world of corporate America the reality of corporate life comes crashing down.  The employee theft and abuses are extremely visible, and yet the supervisor does nothing about the unethical actions of his department.  This leaves Moira confused as to what to do.  However, there are ways to consider the best plan of action for her.

Ethical actions are important in any company with regard not only to their employees, but also to their customers and community.  Integrity, honesty and loyalty are essential for a company to profit and benefit through right actions, however, there are times and circumstances that companies have allowed that disregard this basic concepts of ethics.  In the short run the benefits are wonderful, but the fall out is often resulting in the end of career and in some cases jail time.

She knows that leaving the company after only 4 months would be devastating to her career as would falling into the same actions as her co-workers.  Since Moira has spoken to the supervisor and he does not seem to care, there leaves only one more option, and that too can destroy her career, that is whistle blowing.  Whistle blowing would be going above her supervisor and tell his manager about the situation in the department.  This plan of action can have other effects as well.

If she tells upper management, the implications would fall company wide, and not just in her department.  Currently, there are very few operations that watch the employees however, should Moira tell upper management that would change.  The fact is that her whistle blowing could enact systems that listen to phone calls, watch computer access of internet sites or even verify the number of keystrokes an hour to analyze productivity of the worker.  It could also lead to drug and alcohol testing, as well as the newest trend of genetic testing.

Along with the new security and watchdog efforts, the employees would lose their privacy at work.  Being watched by computer, surveillance, and medical testing is not fair either.  There has to be a balance between the two options.  It must also include the safety of Moiras job.  She must decide whether to tell and possibly lose her job or be branded as a rat, in which case, she must deal with the potential of all the employees losing privacy and having to go along with the new implications and again her career and reputation being ruin.  The other option is that she lets things ride, and either quits of her own accord or gives in to the corporate mindset and partakes of the same actions.

Being the ethical person that feels she has to quit, it seems only right that Moira step up above her supervisor and tell someone who will listen about the actions of her co-workers.  She must understand that the company is losing money and is thereby not giving the best prices to their clients and customers.  In the long run she will eventually save money for the company.  At the same time, she should ask for reassignment, even though she has only been there a few short months.  Upper management should understand the request in light of the perception of whistle blowers.  In a perfect world, all would work out and Moira would be transferred and her career would remain intact.  However, in reality, she will be looking for a new job almost immediately because word would have gotten out that she is the cause.  Her career may not be ruined in general, but in that company there will be no place for her.  She must consider the fact that she did not want to work for a place like that, and find a company that is more along the lines of her own ethical understandings.