Professional Workplace Dilemma

Professional Workplace Dilemma

Beulah J Jones-Dennis

GEN/480

June 3, 2013

Professional Workplace Dilemma

Everyone has or will experience a dilemma in his or her workplace at least once in his or her life. The hope is that each will learn from the experience and gain knowledge and wisdom to guide him or her when future dilemmas arise. According to University of Phoenix Ethics Awareness Inventory Analysis (2012), making a commitment to personal ethics is developing a moral self-capable of dealing with ethical issues as they arise. Accomplish this by following three simple approaches, awareness, articulation, and application or action. The scenario that follows analyze s a dilemma on-the-job between Kim, Sean, Duane, and Beulah while in the employment of previous employer.

The situation arose a year ago while employed as a distribution clerk. After holding the position for two years, Beulah had grown comfortable that her job was secure. She was attending college to complete her degree, which was necessary to gain promotion to another position within the company. After speaking several times with the terminal manager, and his boss she was confident that they were pleased with her work performance and were encouraging her to prepare for advancement. She knew the job, work well with the other employees, made changes that saved the company money, and had no complaint from anyone. Her role was that of an office manager as she ran the office and was given the authority to do so. The job required two people to keep up with the workload, but Beulah had done so with the help of a part-time person. After two years as a temp herself, the company decided to hire her permanent and also hire a second full-time person.

In December 2012 Kim was hired, she had worked in this position for one-year but had quite to relocate and recently move back to town. Beulah was glad to have some help and was of the belief that things would flow smoothly. About a month after Kim began working Beulah became aware that Kim was constantly in Sean, the depot manager's office with door closed, or outside talking to Duane, a coworker. Beulah knew something was wrong but no one had said anything to her so she chose to ignore the situation until the morning she came in and Kim was moving her belongings to another location.

At this point Beulah went in to Sean's office and asked what was going on and was told that Kim had been complaining about her. The complaints were that Beulah was constantly on the phone on personal calls, giving instructions to drivers regarding work duties, hiding paperwork from her, and trying to run everything, including her. Beulah was furious and immediately responded that the accusations were lies, and that she was going to confront Kim. Sean asked for time to meet with both parties and attempt to iron out the situation.

In analyzing the dilemma there were no difference in power and authority. Sean was still the depot manager, Beulah was still a distribution clerk reporting to Sean, and Kim as an addition to the team held the same position of distribution clerk reporting to Sean. Beulah's ethics and personal value is in question, something that

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