Everyone can make mistakes, but sometimes these can have severe consequences. The employees of the insurance company Aviva Investor’s asset management division simultaneously received an email from the company’s HR department, which stated that they had been dismissed with immediate effect. Unfortunately, the email should have been sent to only one of the 1,300 employees in the division. Instead, the email informed all employees in the asset management division to hand any company property over and to maintain confidentiality after their dismissal.

As shocked employees tried to come to terms with the news, they received a second email that retracted the earlier statement and issued an apology for the company’s error.40

10-1. What ethical dilemmas are involved with choosing not to conduct background checks?

10-2. Should you focus on providing timely placements or taking the extra time to complete background checks? Explain your answer.