Alex's Expenses: Interview with 3 Employees

conducted an interview on how some of the employees in different organizations felt about the whole situation. I gathered information from three employees from different companies who will be named employee one two and three. From the case scenario, employee one after being asked the question of how Alex should report her expenses, he said that Alex should report her expenses according to the company's requirements. "She should not pad her expenses even if there is the risk of being noticed and questioned" was his exact words. He continued explaining that some of the expenses being included by the employees are unnecessary and do not relate directly to the operations of the company, for instance, tipping expenses. Taylor, for example, tips 20percent, which is a lot and also unnecessary. He then concluded by saying that it is unethical to report expenses that are higher for reimbursement purposes as it is regarded as a fraudulent practice, and it is like stealing from the company. I also think that Alex should not pad his expenses. This is because the action is unethical as it is stealing from the business. She should do this even if there is a risk of being fired.

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Whether Alex should Report the Work Practice

The next question of whether Alex should report the practice was directed at employee two, who said that Alex should not report the work practice to the managers since it is seen that a person who reports the others is fired. He illustrates this by saying that "an employee was fired just because he was trying to do the right thing for the company, but the company does not appreciate the deeds and fires him." He explained that instead of the employee going straight to the human resource managers and accountants, thereby revealing his identity, he should have tried reporting the practice anonymously, and that way, his job will be secure, and he will have also done the ethical action supposed to be taken. I think that Alex should report the practice. This is because it is the right thing to do ethically. She should not fail to report it with the fear of being fired since it is unethical to watch other commit crimes without reporting.

If the Employer has a Values Statement

The third question was directed towards employee three, and she responded by saying, "My employer has a values statement, which are the ethics and principles to which the organization and its employees are supposed to adhere to." She went ahead and gave some of the values in her organization that is enacted by her employer that included inclusiveness, where the company is supposed to respect all people and also commit itself to equality, where everyone is supposed to be treated equally. The other value that she mentioned was that of participation, whereby the company recognizes and values the contribution of the employees and the volunteers within the community. She stated quality as the last value of her employer and explained it as the situation where the company strives for excellence through the continuous development of the products and services offered. She concluded by emphasizing the importance of the value statement as seen from her employer saying that a value statement is essential to an organization as it has served as a reference point for the organization, and it also provides the necessary information on how an organization performs.

Does Employer have Clearly Stated Rules

The fourth question was directed towards employee one, which was on whether his employee has clearly stated rules. "My employer does have clearly stated rules, and I think it is essential for an employer to have these rules since it enables an organization to run smoothly and effectively." Was how he answered the question? Laws govern the operations of the organization and also how employees should conduct themselves. (Ferrell et al. 76) I then asked him if there are any penalties if a person fails to follow the rules, and he responded by saying that some of the clearly stated rules set out by my employer include the arrival time of each employee, which should 8 am. Failure to adhere to this rule without any reasonable excuses can cause one to be fired, especially if one comes in later than 8 am a number of times. I was curious to know what happens if an employee is late with a good reason, and he replied by saying that if one cannot avoid being late, one has to communicate with the human resource department prior to the start of one's shift. This was necessary in order for the provision of a substitute, for instance, which will cover for a person to ensure that the workflow is smooth. He finished by saying that the rules aid in the development of culture in the organization and also guide employees on what should be done and the consequences if the rules are not followed.

Whether the Employer Expects Employee to compute

The third employee answered the next question on whether her employee expects the employees to comply with the laws. She said that "My employer expects every employee to abide by the laws and regulations set out by the organization. There are, however, some exceptions that are given to some people under different circumstances if need be. Every employee, regardless of their level, is supposed to follow the rules, for instance, a department manager is not exempted from the rules, but he should also follow the rules, and if he fails to do so, he is acted upon accordingly. She then explained that the exceptions are only given to an individual who is physically impaired in the accountant's department to accommodate the shortcomings of the person.

Does Employer Expect Employee to Act in Best Intrest

The next question was directed to the second employee who answered by saying, "It is every employer's expectation of their employees to do everything in their power to ensure that their actions are in the best interest of the company. For instance, his employer expects an employee to report a case of conflict of interest in the line of performing their duties. He gave the advantages of this by saying it is essential since a person may put his interests before the interest of the company, which may affect the company negatively. Their responsibilities may then be assigned to other employees who do not have any interest in the matter being handled. Employers also expect this from their employees since the failure of the employees to take actions that ensure the enhancement of the firm's interests may cause a bad reputation of the company and may also affect the profits of the company.

Does Employer Offer Ethics Training

The last question was addressed by employee one saying, "My employer does offer ethics training for the employees. Training of ethics is relevant as it, for instance, helps to protect the company's bottom line." He also explained the effects of unethical practices by the employees affect the company when the company issued, and it has to pay hefty fines, which then affects the profits of a company. Unethical practices can also cost the company in other ways, such as losing customers, lowering the stock prices, and also scaring the suppliers. Ethical practices also make the workplace a great place to work in for the employees. After asking him which method his employer uses in the training process, he said that his employer uses face to face training that lasts for about two hours. The training is done on a quarterly basis where a meeting is held, and all the employees come together, and they are explained to some of the work ethics and their importance. The importance of face to face training includes the fact that they promote effective interaction between the trainer and the employees (Ferrell et al. 72). As compared to computer training face to face learning has limited interruptions, and it is also hard to convey emotions on email or chats as compared to face to face.

Part two

The employees agree in most of the matters, for instance, on the importance of business ethics and values in an organization. All the employees responded positively towards their workplaces and on their employers, and they also reported that there were minimal cases of unethical practices in their organization. They also held similar positions on how Alex in the scenario should handle the issues that were presented before him.

Normative Theories

One of the normative theories that can be seen when the employees answer question one and two is that of libertarian theory. This is a theory that states that individuals are capable of making their own judgments by distinguishing the good from the bad. This is seen as the employees are seen to freely give their opinions and are not under pressure when answering the questions. There are, however, some assumptions that were made when reaching this conclusion since it is possible that the employees were praising their employees and also their workplaces due to the fear that they might be fired if their employers discover what they had said about them. Also, based on the theory, it is assumed that the employees being interviewed are ethical and rational and would, therefore, not lie when answering the questions.

Stages of Cognitive Moral Development

The stage that is seen in the answers given by the employees in questions one and two is the conventional stage. This is the stage where the interviewees have interpersonal conformity and accord (Ferrell et al. 44). They all seem to give positive answers about their workplaces and their employers and none since to have a different opinion, which makes it look like they are somehow compelled by society to give positive answers. They may also be fear to be fired after maybe their identity is revealed.

Employees Work Environment

From the uniformity of the answers that were given by all the employees, there were no differences in their different work environments. They all seem to be in a conducive environment since they are happy with their employers and their workplace. All the employers of the three employees seem to be ethical, and they also promote ethical behaviors since they also offer ethical training for their employees. In their concluding statements, employee one says, "I think it is a good thing that we all have a conducive work environment and also employers who promote ethics in an organization." The organizational culture of all the three organizations where the employees work seems to be one that upholds shared beliefs and also values, which in turn affects how people behave in organizations.

Recommendations for Firm

My recommendations for firms based on the interview are that upholding ethics is very important. As seen by the responses that the employees give, they have all attested to ethics playing a key role in the success of their organizations. Unethical practices such as falsifying expenses by increasing them are condemned and are said to create problems in the organization. Also, the employers in organizations should take measures that aim in promoting ethics in the organization, for instance, through the development of an ethics committee or also organizing programs that educate the employees on ethical matters. Also, employees should adopt a value statement in which the values of the organization should be written down. Also, rules and regulations should be set in organizations to ensure that the actions of the employees are in line with the laid out rules.

Works cited

Ferrell et al. 9781337614436 | CengageEMEA. Cengage.com. https://www.cengage.com/c/business-ethics-ethical-decision-making-cases-12e-ferrell/9781337614436/. Published in 2020. Accessed April 24, 2020.