1. Workplace Ethics Workplace Ethics
Privacy & dignity: testing, harassment
Conscience: conflicts of Interest, blind loyalty, whistle blowing downsizing, operations
Fairness: discrimination, QWL, resp. to family +
Importance of Trust
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

2. Workplace Ethics A balance of employee and employer rights
Cases you have heard of involving:
Trust …
Respect …
Fairness …
Duty … .
Are workplace ethics important? Why?
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

3. Employee Rights Privacy Fairness Health Conscience Influenced by….
Statutes, regulations
Common law
Dignity
Fair pay
Safety
Free speech
Culture
Union contracts
Corp. Policies
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

4. Privacy & Dignity Issues
When should employer’s rights supercede employee’s
Legitimate interest, reasonable, morally acceptable
Notification & consent
Does notification:
Justify monitoring? Imply consent?
Informed consent requires:
Deliberation, free choice
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

5. Testing How accurate to be justified? How can dignity be maintained?
Depends on decision to be made
To assist, confirm, or use alone
Reliability
How can dignity be maintained?
Confidentiality, retest, advance notification
Testing programs: TD Bank, Imperial Oil
Trucker computer game tests
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

6. Harassment
Any improper behaviour directed at you that you find offensive, and that the other person knew or ought to have known would be unwelcome Treas. Bd. Of can.
How should a manager deal with it? Insure?
How should a company guard against it?
Older man, response - Travelling Salesperson
Is sex addiction a disease?
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

7. Other Conscience Issues
Conflicts of Interest – last class
Blind loyalty is passé
Whistleblowing GE case - $70 million
Culture discourages
Ethical heroes:
60% fired,17% lost homes,10% attempted suicide
Encouragement
Trust, hotlines, ombudspersons, awareness +
Protection
Anonymity, fair hearing process, board committees, statutory protection
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

8. Downsize or Bonus Allocation Decisions
Who would you downsize from insurance claims dept.?
Name Salary Service Performance Personal
John 84, Acceptable, Married, misses deadlines many dependents
Gord 72, Outstanding, Single, no dependents pushy, suggestions
Jane 68, Consistent, Married to successful excellent, architect dependable
Ralph 86, Acceptable, Married, 2 children in plodder university
Hilary 64, Acceptable, Single, dependable, costly mistakes chronically ill mother
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

9. Downsize or Bonus Allocation Decisions
Lessons learned…
Moral Imagination
Signaling of values .
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

10. Research on Downsizing
According to Watson Wyatt
doesn’t achieve goals - profits, cost reductions
doing it right involves:
procedural justice, planning, communication, involvement
alternatives to downsizing
sharing jobs, 40/30
reduce contracting out
redeployment
freeze hiring
paradigm shift: healthy continuous change
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

11. Operations/Conscience Issues
Responsibility for those downsized and their families
Operations - contingent workforces
Adaptability
Short term contracts
Benefits?
Managing their ethics
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

12. Fairness Issues Discrimination: forms
Age, gender, sex, employment, pay
Race (Texaco’s jelly beans)
Does equal treatment mean the same for all?
Fair policies
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

13. Discrimination Cases?? Over Forty The Retirement Fund
The High School Teacher
Raising the Ante
Other
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

14. Texaco’s Jelly Beans Case
Whistleblower tapes…$300 million fine+pay…:
What permitted such racial discrimination to occur at Texaco?
How could the discrimination have been prevented?
Is whistle-blowing ethical?
Could a protected whistle-blowing mechanism or conscientious ombudsperson have helped?
Other issues:
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

15. Trust Importance of Trust Research shows it to be the key to:
Leadership
Innovation
Loyalty
Performance
Trust depends on Respect…Values… Ethics
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003

16. Business Ethics Value Chain
STAKEHOLDER
SCREEN
ACHEIVEMENT OF
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
CORPORATION GO
Governance
Mechanism
Customers
Employees
Capital Markets
Current:
Shareholders
Lenders
Environmentalists
Host Communities
Governments
NGOs
INFLUENCES
ACTIONS
Primary
CAUTION
Formulation
of Strategic
Objectives
Other
BEHAVIOUR
STOP
DETERMINANTS OF VALUE…Success = f(Trust + Respect)
CORPORATE CULTURE
ETHICS PROGRAM &CODE
TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT
STAKEHOLDER SYNERGIES
CHARACTER
GLOBAL MEDIA
PERCEPTION OF:
TRUST
RESPECT
RELATIVE IMPACT
RELATIVE SALIENCE
LOCAL CULTURE
Prof. Len Brooks, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2003