Essay Sample on Ethics: Essential for Organizational Success and Satisfying Stakeholders

Introduction

Ethics is essential in any organization. Various companies are faced with ethical issues, and they must make the decision that is in the best interest of the organization. If an organization is not ethical, it may end up losing some clients. People are usually concerned about the ethical practice of the business. There are various stakeholders in a company, including the employees, customers, and suppliers. Businesses are supposed to be responsible to all the partners who engage in transactions with it (Sheep, 2006). This paper explores the ethical situations that faced Google and the decisions made due to the issue.

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Background

Google has been on limelight over complaints involving sexual harassment by employees. In 2018, there were over 20,000 employees who protested after Google paid $100 million to executives who had already been accused of sexual harassment. Previously, people were afraid to raise their concerns because of the fear of victimization. Women have been discriminated against in the company due to gender stereotypes, which claims that men are more suited to work in technology companies. The women who were lucky to work there were discriminated either by failing to get enough maternal leave, or they were sexually harassed.

Identification of the Ethical Dilemma

It was challenging for the company to deal with the sexual harassment issue. The main reason for the failure is because the managers who are supposed to be making policies were the ones who were accused. In one report, an employee reports that when she stated that a colleague was sexually harassing them, the manager replied that they were "overreacting." The employee said that they were punished, and they were denied promotions for speaking out. Even after an investigation was carried out, those who were found guilty were not dismissed. They continued working in the company. The only thing that was done was "coaching."

Google was in a dilemma before the employees walked out. The company would not agree that there issues with sexual harassment in the company. Such a big company having such issues would tarnish their name (Rodriguez & Juricic, 2018). Another dilemma was whether they should give equal opportunities to men and women. Some memos purported there were key people in the management who preferred males than female employees. One woman reported that the manager denied her promotion due to her gender. She was described as an "emotional woman." Even after the woman reported the case to HR, she was transferred to another manager but continued receiving the same salary while her male counterparts were promoted.

Analysis

Google spokesperson said that the company was doing the best in handling misconduct claims. He defended the company in how it was handling the issues. The first step to solving all the problems was first reporting them. The company would provide support to all the people who report sexual harassment issues. It would also ensure that no one is victimized because of reporting harassment cases. Google adopted a strategy whereby employees would report more transparently.

The company vowed to be stricter on sexual harassment cases. The process of reporting and how claims were being handled would change. Previously, the HR or the manager could hide the evidence at their level, and the employee would do nothing else. It is only after the employee walked out that the company saw that it was a severe issue. The management made arbitration to be optional for sexual harassment cases. Previously, most of the cases were dropped to avoid ruining the company's reputations.

Google also ensured that there is sexual harassment training and there is a performance review to make sure that every employee completed the training. The company would share publicly the company's policy on sexual harassment and discrimination (Vijayasiri, 2008). Everyone understanding the company policy would know when their rights are being abused.

Recommendations

The employees already know that sexual harassment is not allowed in all the workplaces. Putting more effort in training will not help as they are being told what they already know. What needs to be done is more enforcement. Anyone who is proved to have sexually harassed someone should be fired even if he/she is in whichever position. It is a requirement that the company provides support to those who are sexually harassed or assaulted (Moore et al., 1998). Therefore, the company was declaring what every company is supposed to do in such cases. More measures would have been adopted since the company was already accused.

Most of the harassment happens to women mostly. It was found that there are fewer women leaders in the company. It is, therefore, prudent if Google can increase the number of women leaders. Women can protect the rights of other women in a better way. They would ensure that cases of sexual harassment are followed to the end. Probably, they can be able to put themselves on the shoes of the victims. Sometimes it is hard for a man to judge a case of another man who is accused of sexual harassment. The women's voice should be heard, and that is the only way to eliminate sexual harassment.

Conclusion

Companies are usually faced with an ethical dilemma when it comes to revealing some of the challenges that face them. It was hard for Google to admit the internal struggles that the workers were going through before they walked out. After the company could no longer hide its challenges, it came up with new standards that should be followed concerning the matter. However, there are still some sections that can be introduced, like more women leaders, to ensure that the sexual harassment issue is eliminated.

References

Moore, H. L., Gatlin-Watts, R. W., & Cangelosi, J. (1998). Eight steps to a sexual-harassment-free workplace. Training & Development, 52(4), 12-14. https://go.gale.com/ps/anonymous?id=GALE%7CA20860366&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=10559760&p=AONE&sw=w

Rodriguez, J. V., & Juricic, Z. (2018). Perceptions and attitudes of community pharmacists toward professional ethics and ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 14(5), 441-450.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1551741117301055

Sheep, M. L. (2006). Nurturing the whole person: The ethics of workplace spirituality in a society of organizations. Journal of business ethics, 66(4), 357-375 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-006-0014-5

Vijayasiri, G. (2008). Reporting sexual harassment: The importance of organizational culture and trust. Gender Issues, 25(1), 43-61. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12147-008-9049-5