Week 4
Section A01
The fact that being a whistle blower and doing what you think is right can have an adverse effect on your life is sad, but it is the life we live in. Not everyone can do what Amy Block Joy did in "Whistleblower" when she discovered an embezzlement scheme and I don't expect everyone to do it either. It is extremely difficult to put your livelihood on the line for what is right and Joy has my utmost respect for doing it. Other people though can do what they can to help out in much smaller issues without putting themselves at such risks and that's why the ethics training that Joy describes in her article "Ethics and 'Breaking Bad': Developing and practicing ethical skills" would be useful to many people. One issue I have with these ethics classes especially in businesses though is that it can push the agenda of those in charge of the ethics class. It can point people towards a certain decision that would benefit those in charge more or tunnel vision people into to thinking that one action is vastly more ethical than the other when in reality each situation is different. One decision that was wrong in one situation could be right in another.
Question:
In Amy Block Joy's article, she puts forth an ethical question about seeing a coworker taking a flask from a lab you work at which strictly prohibits taking lab equipment. Most options are a mixture of confronting this person and telling him he is doing wrong and reporting it to your boss, either anonymously or directly. One option is to do neither of these things and ignore it.
None of these options though describe confronting your coworker and asking him why he is taking the flask in the first place. I feel as if this knowledge is crucial to making the right decision within this situation. What would you do if he told you that he was working on a project outside of the laboratory, but didn't have the money to get the equipment himself? What would you do then?
I feel that just straight up reporting it to your boss could be putting an coworker at risk that could be doing very little wrong and may have good reason for his actions. As I said earlier this situation can tunnel vision you into thinking that stealing equipment is completely wrong just because it was a rule your boss told you. I feel that keeping an open mind and judging the situation with as much information as possible is key in choosing the most ethical option for your beliefs.
References:
Joy, Block Amy. (2017, October 13). Ethics and “Breaking Bad”: Developing and practicing Ethical Skills. Compliance and Ethics Professional. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
Joy, A. B. (2010). Whistleblower. Point Richmond, CA: Bay Tree Pub. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
Bascall, A. (2010, March 17). "I'm sensing confidence, boldness, and moral sensibility. You're not going to turn out to be a whistleblower, are you?" [Digital image]. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/business-commerce-interview-job_interview-new_job-job-interviewer-aban453_low.jpg
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