Introduction
Today’s work environments are consistent with having people from diverse backgrounds. They include different aspects of the working relationships within organizations which include nationality, education, age, religion, race and ethnicity and sexual orientation. In spite of the fact that many organizations recruit people from diverse backgrounds, the individuals bring their own unique set of skills, goals, values and perceptions about acceptable behaviours. As soon as they ensure the organization, multicultural individuals are expected to work together and adhere to organizational policies and objectives. However, in workplace settings, several ethical dilemmas are bound to arise, which are not limited to employee management, which may include salaries, downsizing employees and successful business organization. These dilemmas add to work-related stress. Resolving such ethical dilemmas requires understanding ethical principles, concepts and theories that provide a basis for making ethical decisions in the workplace.
The ethical Dilemma
The employee sof Dnaa Netwrorsk, a company dealing in supplies, complained of racial discrimination at the workplace. Black employees were continuously discriminated against when it came to promotion denials, unequal pay, and a hostile work environment. The complaints continued for several months. Following last year’s employee performance appraisal, it was noted that all the black employees received lower rading on the appraisal scale compared to their white counterparts. It is worth noting that the company is situated in a predominantly white neighbourhood, with most of its clients being white people, usually above the age of 45. Three employees stormed the manager’s office demanding an explanation for the consistently discriminative treatment against black employees, which was evident across the company. In spite of the fact that diversity was considered during recruitment, this did not reflect in the pay and promotions of minority employees. A scuffle ensued, and the manager insisted that the workplace processes were at pace to ensure that equality was observed. However, he alos noted that since most of the clients are white, it was only practical to have white employees being promoted to higher ranks as this was a good fit with the existing client base and thus was “good for business”. He also suggested that any of the employees who were aggrieved could seek employment elsewhere and that he was willing to give a good recommendation for the same. However, the affected employees insisted that thses actions amounted to discrimination on the basis of race which was against the provisions of Section 1981 and Title VII of the constitution.
The right way to resolve this Dilemma
Unequal treatment fo employees within the work environment are unethical when done with no justification for the same. In this case, the employees were discriminated against on the basis of their race, which is a protected characteristic and goes against human rights provisions. The first thing that needs to be done is to contact alla the aggrieved parties and set up a meeting to understand the cause of the dispute. Additionally, it would be important to gather relevant information and data to determine the authenticity of the claims, and this should include responses from both parties in the dispute. The next thing is to ensure that all the parties are accountable for their actions and understand racial discrimination, why it is harmful and why diversity is important. Discrimination is harmful to society because it perpetuates inequality and infringement on people’s rights to fundamental freedoms, which in this case include the right to equal opportunity and equality in legal treatment. Moreover, it alos causes lower productivity, disengagement, and high staff turnover.
Therefore, it is important to first communicate that everyone has the right to be treated equally regardless of race or ethnicity. This is the right thing to do and is supported by Kantiams, which supports making morally right decisions. Understanding that diversity is good for business as it boosts innovation and financial performance is crucial. Moreover, it will be important for the manager to understand that a toxic work culture is not good for everyone, as employees must feel secure in their workplace.
It would be necessary to engage in various conflict management skills such as communication, empathy, negotiation, and emotional intelligence so that I may understand the position of both parties. It will alos be necessary to get a commitment from the managers that they will treat employees fairly and equally and ensure that the employees understand that grievances must be challenged through the right processes and communication channels. It may also be necessary to get a commitment from the management that they will address these complaints through various means, including educating and training their staff on diversity and inclusion, refusing to condone discrimination and harassment and setting up policies to support equality and punish discrimination.
The strongest argument against, or alternative to, your proposed solution to the Dilemma.
The strongest argument against the proposed solution is tha fact that promoting black employees may affect the company’s client business, which will negatively impact the business revenues and the company’s ability to maintain its current workforce. According to Utlitarinims, a decision is considered ethical if it results in maximum benefits for the largest number of people. Minati9ng the practice of promoting white employees would therefore be justified by Utlintarisims because it translates to increased benefits to the organization and all its employees. In this regard, utilitarianism may be inconsistent with the recognition of individual rights because, in this theory, the concepts of fairness and justice may place limitations on the sacrifices that some people need to make for the benefit fo all. In tis case, the black employees had sacrificed their right to promotion and higher pay to ensure that the company continued to attract and maintain many clients from the white majority. This position may be argued from the point of racist ideology, which suggests that some races are inherently superior to others, and this may be demonstrated explicitly and implicitly. Racist ideology is therefore displayed in the attitudes, values, stereotypes and beliefs of people, as was the case of the company’s manager, who felt that the racial concerns of the client base should be taken into account when selecting who should manage these clients. In these cases, the beliefs were consciously and unconsciously maintained by the management and potentially the company’s clients and thus have become deeply embedded in the systems and structure of the organizations.
The strongest argument against/ response to the position outlined in part
The principle of equality requires that people or cases would be treated except where a morally relevant difference can be identified and ascertained. This is alos consistent with the assumptions of Kant’s categorical imperative as well as the Golden Rule. The principle of equality applies to alla auton0mus and rational persons and thus helps to avoid the violation of individual rights and duty to others. An explanation for equal treatment of people from different races can be found in the Critical Race Theory, which seeks to explain how the concepts of race and racism are embedded in society. This theory suggests that race is a social construct which means that treating people differently from a racial perspective is a product of societal beliefs rather than scientifically or biologically proven facts. The Kantian perspective suggests that empirical attitudes and people’s perceived or real diffrences and capabilities are irrelevant to matters of rights and justice. Hence, each person has absolute worth and deserves equal treatment irrespective of the outcomes for the busies. Hence black employees should be treated equally and thus deserve equality with other races in regard to paying, promotions and the nature of the work environment.
Conclusion
Kant’s moral theory highlight the different perspectives on the treatment of employees as they introduced the elements of fairness and justice. Whereas discrimination may be justified in some instances, the case study highlights a case of discrimination on the basis of race which results in inequality. Hence, solving this ethical DilemmaDilemma requires observance of the law and the ethical principles and theories to ensure that the case is resolved amicably and appropriately.
