Vanessa Jones is the manager of the phenolics department of PlastiTech, a manufacturer of industrial plastics and composite materials. She is facing a dilemma. There is an opening in her department, and her brother has applied for it. Because her brother has been out of work for several months, he is having a great deal of trouble supporting his wife and two children. The family pressure on Vanessa to hire her brother is intense. But there is a problem: Although she has no doubt her brother could do the job well, two other applicants are better qualified. Further, Vanessa, her brother, and the two better-qualified applicants are all minorities, so her company’s equal employment opportunity policies will not help her in making the decision, nor will the company’s other employment policies, which allow the hiring of family members. Vanessa feels a strong sense of responsibility for the productivity of her department. She also loves her brother and wants to help him. This is the first real ethical dilemma she has ever faced.

If Vanessa doesn’t hire her brother, she might be ostracized by her family, and her brother’s already precarious financial condition might get even worse. On the other hand, she is responsible for hiring the best new team member she can identify. This type of ethical dilemma is not uncommon in the modern workplace.

QUESTION 

If you found yourself facing a similar dilemma, what would you do? Why?