PSCYH/642
Workplace Ethics
University of Phoenix
PSCYH/642
Workplace Ethics
In every part of life, our morals determine the decisions we make; from a business
perspective, everyone on the team follows the ethical guidelines presented when beginning their
job. In some instances, ethical dilemmas will surface in the workplace where a decision can
create a very positive or negative consequences for the result. Decisions can be influenced from
many factors; Weick (1995) stated that a lack of information influences decision making as an
individual may not consider the consequences of their actions (Sonenshein, 2007; Weick, 1995).
Needing to understand dilemmas and creating strategies are essential in effectively finding
solutions that will positively impact the workplace, or at the very least prevent a larger dilemma
that can put a bad name to the company.
The Dilemma
Working in a banking institution, ethical dilemmas are bound to occur; ethical dilemma
risks in a banking center can vary from employee conduct, customer conduct, or making
decisions between one’s own morals and the company’s morals. When looking into decision
making, there are components to consider: privacy, confidentiality, morality, ethical choices,
and behavioral decisions. Privacy refers to the control employees have on their personal
information in how the company uses their information (Piller, 1993b); ethical choices and
behaviors involve making decisions that best benefit every party involved (Cascio & Aguinis,
2019; Mirvis & Seashore, 1979; Cullen, Victor, & Stephens, 1989).
One of the most notable ethical dilemmas that occurred at my job involved the health of
our employees at the beginning of the pandemic; one of the employees had been tested positive
, and was out of work for three weeks; not only did the building not close for a positive case as
early as March of 2020, but the employees who had worked alongside them at the time were not
told about the positive case and were only told that the affected employee was sick with a
common cold, leaving everything as business per usual. While the employee’s privacy on
disclosing their positive case was applied, the health and safety of the other employees were not
considered and were especially at a large risk due to the mandates on masks and protective gear
were not yet in place.
Effects in the Workplace
Following HIPAA protocol, the associate’s condition was never disclosed until after
they had returned and they told us themselves, but exposed employees were still working
without knowing they had been exposed; this created a risk with clientele as well, since they
were also unaware of the positive case. With the stress of not knowing whether they were
infected or not, one associate stayed home for a week, opting to do their work from home to stay
safe; those that had stayed were not given updates on the health of the sick employee, which had
left us not only worried about our own health, but whether our coworker was getting better. We
were left with many questions that had left us unwilling to come in to work some days, with the
option to work from home not beginning until a month after the incident. For most of us, we
were caught between overanalyzing any sickness symptoms we had to overstressing ourselves
about the possibility of getting sick.
Dilemma Strategies
The company does an excellent job at protecting the privacy of not only our clients, but
also for their employees; information on associates tested were never disclosed. From the worst
of this pandemic up until now, the company has made the decision to close financial centers for
one to two weeks when one associate is tested positive, allowing associates who have been
exposed to quarantine to protect themselves and our clients. Privacy assurance, or HIPAA
Workplace Ethics
University of Phoenix
PSCYH/642
Workplace Ethics
In every part of life, our morals determine the decisions we make; from a business
perspective, everyone on the team follows the ethical guidelines presented when beginning their
job. In some instances, ethical dilemmas will surface in the workplace where a decision can
create a very positive or negative consequences for the result. Decisions can be influenced from
many factors; Weick (1995) stated that a lack of information influences decision making as an
individual may not consider the consequences of their actions (Sonenshein, 2007; Weick, 1995).
Needing to understand dilemmas and creating strategies are essential in effectively finding
solutions that will positively impact the workplace, or at the very least prevent a larger dilemma
that can put a bad name to the company.
The Dilemma
Working in a banking institution, ethical dilemmas are bound to occur; ethical dilemma
risks in a banking center can vary from employee conduct, customer conduct, or making
decisions between one’s own morals and the company’s morals. When looking into decision
making, there are components to consider: privacy, confidentiality, morality, ethical choices,
and behavioral decisions. Privacy refers to the control employees have on their personal
information in how the company uses their information (Piller, 1993b); ethical choices and
behaviors involve making decisions that best benefit every party involved (Cascio & Aguinis,
2019; Mirvis & Seashore, 1979; Cullen, Victor, & Stephens, 1989).
One of the most notable ethical dilemmas that occurred at my job involved the health of
our employees at the beginning of the pandemic; one of the employees had been tested positive
, and was out of work for three weeks; not only did the building not close for a positive case as
early as March of 2020, but the employees who had worked alongside them at the time were not
told about the positive case and were only told that the affected employee was sick with a
common cold, leaving everything as business per usual. While the employee’s privacy on
disclosing their positive case was applied, the health and safety of the other employees were not
considered and were especially at a large risk due to the mandates on masks and protective gear
were not yet in place.
Effects in the Workplace
Following HIPAA protocol, the associate’s condition was never disclosed until after
they had returned and they told us themselves, but exposed employees were still working
without knowing they had been exposed; this created a risk with clientele as well, since they
were also unaware of the positive case. With the stress of not knowing whether they were
infected or not, one associate stayed home for a week, opting to do their work from home to stay
safe; those that had stayed were not given updates on the health of the sick employee, which had
left us not only worried about our own health, but whether our coworker was getting better. We
were left with many questions that had left us unwilling to come in to work some days, with the
option to work from home not beginning until a month after the incident. For most of us, we
were caught between overanalyzing any sickness symptoms we had to overstressing ourselves
about the possibility of getting sick.
Dilemma Strategies
The company does an excellent job at protecting the privacy of not only our clients, but
also for their employees; information on associates tested were never disclosed. From the worst
of this pandemic up until now, the company has made the decision to close financial centers for
one to two weeks when one associate is tested positive, allowing associates who have been
exposed to quarantine to protect themselves and our clients. Privacy assurance, or HIPAA
