In any workplace, there are many codes of conduct involved. Employees are bound to these rules and regulations in order for any organization to work smoothly. However, there are times where the lines are blurred due to various reasons. Sometimes, relationships, beliefs and principles come into play when the time comes for one to make certain decisions. The ethical dilemma whereby individuals are forced to weigh the right and wrong of their actions (Wester Holm, Nilstun, & Ovretveit, 2004). This paper is going to explain ethical dilemma that can happen in a workplace and try to find the appropriate resolution to this conflict based on ethical theories.
In this dilemma, a teacher worked as a technical communicator for a major health organization is to develop a new software system acting as a database that will gather all the necessary records from hospitals, clinics health maintenance organization, laboratories and physicians around my area. These records that contained personal information about the patients are highly confidential any private in nature. Revealing some of this classified information can cause a lot of chaos to these individuals. One likely situation that could happen is limiting their employability. Some employers may not want to hire or tend to discriminate against some patients who can be seen as handicapped. Employers may already form a pre-conceived idea that these individuals will not be able to perform up to par and contribute effectively to the growth of their organizations besides a ruined reputation.
A few months into her software development, she learned about a surprising piece of information that will put her in an ethical dilemma I suddenly came across a familiar name flashing on my computer screen. The name happen to be her sister’s fiancé. He has been tested and diagnosed positive for HIV. The information has also shown that he is currently receiving treatment as well as counseling for HIV and AIDS at a local clinic. The relationship between them are very close. They lost their mother to cancer at a very young age. She was certain that her sister was unaware of the situation that her fiancé has been tested positive with HIV she would have told her and their father if she knew.
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When the information was seen, the sister was shocked and torn between her relationship with her family and obligation towards her job. On the other hand, she choose not to tell her sister regarding her fiancé, and she will be able to keep her integrity in order to maintain her job. This information is important as the job, which is a source of income for her and her family. However, if she were to release information it would be putting her sister’s safety as well as her marriage in jeopardy. On the other hand, if she choose to tell what she know to her sister, she will be making a horrible mistake. She would be facing a high risk of being terminated from a job, which she love.
After finding out about her sister’s fiancé current situation, she do not know what to do. She decided to sit on the issue for some time in order to think about options. She stated she is in a situation that she could not share information with her sister about her fiancé or anyone else. If she decided to talk about the situation, it would be an unethical decision. Therefore, she came up with ways on how to resolve the issue.
The first situation involves that she do not say anything to anyone. It would be a secret as if nothing ever happen and she would be the only one who knows and who will have to suffer through this ordeal. She will be able to maintain the relationship with her sister. She will be able to have a healthy relationship and not be the one to tell the bad news. In addition, she will be able to continue working for a great company and keep earning her salary.
The second situation she thinks about revealing the truth to her sister, which she think she could possibly tell in several ways. First, she can request a face-to-face meeting with her sister or sister and fiancé. That option may be difficultly because of humiliating her sister and she may think that she is lying to her and not being supportive. Also, her sister fiancé may choose to deny the situation for to save himself. As a result, this can ruin the relationship that she has with her sister and family.
The last situation that she thought she will be able to do is confront her sister fiancé , she can call him and request a meeting which would be sketchy talking to him and letting him know that she knows about his sickness. In addition, she thought about giving him, the opportunity to reveal the truth to her sister, if not she will reveal the information to her sister but she will have to deal with the consequences of what will happen. The wedding is called off and her sister break up with her fiancé and if the fiancé will report what she done to her supervisors out of revenge. This situation will ruin her reputation as a trustworthy employee and she will lose her job.
In all the situations she decided to go with the last resolution of calling her sister fiancé to talking with him and slowly break the news to let him know that she know he has been tested positive with HIV. The fiancé became upset because he is put in a situation to where he has to finally accept the truth. He was made aware that if he really loved her sister he would not put her in a precarious situation.
The decision is considered ethical if it brings goodness to a greater number of people, Utilitarian simplifies the moral law into a quantitative calculation (Paludi, 2012). It is called the cost-benefit analysis and can be used to decide whether the choices are ethical (Bredeson & Goree, 2011). Someone has to take into account that total pleasure of their decision minus the hurt from their action.
She has solve her workplace dilemma as ethical. She decided to confront her sister fiancé and somehow wanted him to reveal the truth regarding his condition to her sister, but she needs to analyze her actions first, because if she confronts him she will be able to keep her job because she will not be breaking any rules. Besides, this will help her sister from marrying the wrong man and saving her life. Therefore, her sister will be happy and she will be able to continue earning income to support her family. Happiness outweighs the pain that she will experience by her fiancé.
In this case, of my ethical dilemma, the best solutions is for her to confront her sister fiancé and make him reveal the truth. There is no right or wrong when it comes to deciding whether an action is ethical. This dilemma is not practical in a real worked. These situations can only be used as a guideline. It is up to the individual to decide what they need to do when face with an ethical dilemma in the workplace.
References
- Bredeson, D., & Goree, K (2011) Ethics in the Workplace, Stamford: Congage Learning
- Harmn, L.B. (2006). Ethical Challenges in the Management of Health Information. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Paludi, M.A (2012). Managing Diversity in Today’s Workplace: Strategies for Employees and Employers. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO
- Westerholm, P., Nilstun, T., & Ovretveit, J. (2004). Practical Ethics in Occupational Health. Abingdon: Radcliffe Publishing.
