You are an HR Analyst at Blue Lagoon, a global clothing company that specializes in outerwear for athletes. When you arrived at work this morning, you learned that an employee on your data analytics team, Marie Smith, who has a significant social media presence, posted content related to a senior colleague across all her social media accounts:
“When the leader of store operations @JohnMacintosh makes decisions based on personal feelings rather than business data, it makes you wonder how he still has a job… #bluelagoon #dataanalytics #dataiskey”
Your CEO, Shawn Jones, is on vacation with his family but needs to be alerted to this situation, so your director asked you to write a recommendation about what action should be taken by the organization.
For your recommendation, you should conduct an investigation that includes primary research internal to the organization (using this social media policy and this disciplinary policy) and secondary research external to the organization (such as similar situations at other organizations, recommendations from HR/Legal organizations, and research from academic resources). Your official investigation of the situation will determine the organization’s steps to address it, including disciplinary action.
The following examples can get you started, but feel free to use other applicable resources:
Examples of similar situations:
Marine Sgt. Gary Stein
Caitlin Davis, Patriots Cheerleader
Kiersten Bak, Delta Airlines
Elizabeth Lauten, communications director for Republican Representative in Tennessee
Alexi McCammond, Teen Vogue
Justine Sacco, PR Executive
Kaitlyn Walls, daycare worker
Scott Bartosiewicz, Chrysler
Talia Jane, Yelp
Using the list of requirements below, write a 5–7-page recommendation for the action the CEO should take. The first page of the document should be a title page, followed by a one-page executive summary. The recommendation should include an introduction paragraph and a conclusion.
Outline the situation that has occurred. Use the information provided as the foundation; you can make assumptions about the situation to create additional details.
For internal research, outline any potential policies violated and the options for disciplinary action.
For external research, find at least two similar cases (you may use the examples provided or find examples of your own). Explain what happened in each situation and the result
Your recommendation should be validated against industry standards and legal requirements. Ultimately, your recommendation must protect the organization from potential harm. Therefore, use resources like the Society of Human Resource Management, the National Labor Relations Board, and any resources provided by the Maryville University Library to support your recommendation.
As you write your recommendation, remember that the tone of your paper, in addition to the quality of the research, can influence the CEO’s decision.
