Whether they realize it or not, managers and workers make many decisions every day that can have a direct or indirect ethical impact. When making these decisions, all employees need to be aware of the legal and ethical implications their decisions may have on others. Many routine decisions do not present an obvious ethical dilemma, such as hiring one person over another simply based on a ‘gut feeling’ or giving preferential treatment to one customer over another because you like them; however, these decisions can come back to haunt you in the future. To overcome this possibility, most companies establish detailed policies and procedures that guide managers to make good ethical decisions.
For this assignment, you will assume the fictitious role of the Human Resource Director for Xtra Office Supplies and write seven ethics policies for your organization. Here are some parameters to help you with this assignment:
Your company has 30 employees, 7 of which are managers.
You will write 7 ethics policies that will guide both rank-and-file employees and their managers as they make business decisions.
Each policy should discuss a specific decision-making process, such as the external hiring process, the internal promotion process, employee discipline, approval of time-off, vendor relations, financial reporting process, accepting gifts, reporting expenses, customer returns and refunds, etc. These are just example, you may select any appropriate topics you wish for your policies.
Each policy should clearly state the decision-making process it covers, giving guidance on how managers and employees should address the situation. The policy should outline specific expectations, give advice on available resources, and state when a situation should be escalated to the next level of management. Ensure each policy details any consequences for breaking it, such as discipline or termination.
Keep in mind the scope of these policies. The company is rather small, so the management structure most likely consists of several department managers that oversee rank-and-file employees (you are one of those managers) and the company owner or president. Therefore, you can specifically state who to escalate certain problems to. For example, in the case of an allegation of workplace harassment, you may want to state that the reporting party goes directly to the Director of Human Resources.
Keep your policies practical. This is a small, local printing company, so chances are they will not have as many detailed policies as a Fortune 500 corporation. Remember, the policies are a guide for all employees and managers as they make day-to-day decisions, so select appropriate topics. For example, a fair time-off policy is very practical, as a small company cannot afford to have too many individuals taking vacation at the same time. However, this policy should comply with any legal requirements such as FMLA, employment contracts, or wage and hour laws.
While doing research, find a policy format that you like and use it for all 7 policies; this will help you focus your writing and make it easier for the reader to understand and apply. You can find many examples online, and there are templates available on government websites like the U.S. Small Business Administration. Make sure you give credit to these sources in your final paper.
Formatting & Sources
Please write your paper in the APA format. As part of your research, you may refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but you must also use at least three credible, outside sources and cite them using APA format as well. Please include a mix of both primary and secondary sources, with at least one source from a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. If you use any Study.com lessons as sources, please also cite them in APA (including the lesson title and instructor’s name).
Primary sources are first-hand accounts such as interviews, advertisements, speeches, company documents, statements, and press releases published by the company in question.
Secondary sources come from peer-reviewed scholarly journals, such as the Journal of Management. You may use like JSTOR, Google Scholar, and Social Science Research Network to find articles from these journals. Secondary sources may also come from reputable websites with .gov, .edu, or .org in the domain. (Wikipedia is not a reputable source, though the sources listed in Wikipedia articles may be acceptable.)
If you’re unsure about how to use APA format for your paper and sources, please see the following lessons:
What is APA Format? Definition & Style
How To Format APA Citations
