Is Craig Lindley’s behavior a sign of some psychological problem that Rayburn Unlimited should help him overcome, perhaps with personal counseling? Or is dismissal called for? Should Al Smetana fire Craig to send a message to other employees not to misuse company time and resources?

AL SMETA NA IS THE FOUNDING PRESIDENT of a medium-size, midwestern manufacturing firm, Rayburn Unlimited. He’s proud of the way his company has grown, and done so on the basis of an organizational culture committed to honesty, integrity, and the intrinsic value of each individual. But now those values are being put to the test.
It began when Al learned that an employee had tapped into the company’s computer system and figured out how to read people’s e-mail and to learn what websites they visited.
Determining who the culprit was wasn’t difficult. When confronted about it, the employee admitted what he had done.
Al immediately terminated his employment. But as he left, the employee said angrily, “Just ask Lindley about his computer usage,” referring to Craig Lindley, associate vice president for human resources and an old friend of Al’s. Although Al didn’t trust the discharged employee, he was disturbed by his comment and reluctant to let it go. So he called Craig Lindley into his office and asked him about it.