an ethical Dilemma$*$Jon graduated from college with a degree in operations and logistics after he returned from deployment with the army. His work in the military prepared him well as a manager in operations and logistics$,$ and it showed when he was hired at AlumaArc, a manufacturing facility that produced various tank parts for the U$.$S$.$ Army. Jon$$s coworkers and fellow managers at his company respected him for the proficiency he showed in his work. Within $18$ months, Jon became the key person in the logistics department, and a few months after that, he became one of $20$ managers in charge of the third shift. Above him were two assistant general managers $($AGMs$)$ and the general manager. The plant employed $2,000$ general workers and several hundred specialists. Recently, the U$.$S$.$ Army asked AlumaArc to step up production. This meant adding another shift with existing personnel and a number of incentives for increased productivity. At first, Jon was happy with the new business AlumaArc was getting. However, as he began examining the amount of output required to meet the army$$s expectations, he grew concerned. Even with overtime, the plant would still find it difficult to meet output goals running at maximum capacity. He also noticed many of the workers appeared worn out. Because the plant had heavy equipment that required workers to take safety precautions, it was standard procedure for workers to review a checklist on a tablet, marking off the different safety procedures before they began operating machinery. One day, Jon noticed the checklist for his shift hadn$$t been filled out. He asked Jasmine, one of the employees, about why it hadn$$t been done.$$Oh$,$ we$$ve been so busy lately trying to meet our production quota that George told us we could just skip it$,$ Jasmine explained. George was one of the AGMs. $$But these checklists are used to make sure you$$re operating everything safely,$$ Jon responded. Jasmine looked grim. $$Well$,$ if we filled them out, we$$d just be lying anyway.$$ She informed Jon that to save time, the workers were encouraged to bypass standard safety procedures. Additionally, Jon was horrified to realize many of the workers were not taking their required breaks in order to get rewarded for increasing their output. Later that day, Jon confronted George. $$George$,$ these incentives are encouraging careless and unsafe behaviors. Employees are skipping safety procedures and breaks to get the work done. It$$s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.$$George looked firmly at Jon. $$I realize there are potential risks, but we can$$t afford to hire additional$$workers right now. If we can just meet this output, it$$ll increase our business tenfold. We$$ll be able to hire new workers and pay our current employees more.$$ Jon was stunned. $$But these are people we are putting at risk!$$George sighed. $$Jon$,$ each worker has a choice whether or not they take advantage of these incentives. They are not being forced to do anything they don$$t want to do$.$ Besides, these are not my rules. The GM put these incentives in place. It$$s really out of my control. Just think about it$.$ We$$re doing it for the greater good of our company and our employees.$$ Jon replied, $$But if they refuse, they are probably afraid they$$ll lose their jobs. And even if they do feel the risks are worth it$,$ isn$$t it our job to make sure they have safe work conditions?$$Although George continued to reassure him, Jon left$$George$$s office determined to enforce all safety protocols and force his employees to take their required breaks. He figured if top management would not consider the well$-$being of the employees, he would do what he could to protect those who fell under his authority. Later that week, George came up to Jon and said, $$I$$m sorry to tell you this, but your shift is not meeting the required output levels. We need to meet these deadlines quickly and accurately, and your shift has always been our fastest. Without you, we$$re never going to get the work done on time. That means we$$ll have to start laying off employees who aren$$t performing up to expectations.$$ Jon recognized George$$s veiled threat but refused to compromise his workers$$ safety. Meanwhile, he began hearing stories of employees getting injured on other shifts. Jon decided to talk to Allie, the general manager. He knew she probably was not pleased with him, but he felt it necessary to try to persuade her about the dangers of what the company was doing. Jon wondered how he should approach Allie. If he was not careful, she could fire him. He did not want to be disrespectful, but he also didn$$t want to be a part of a company that knowingly put their employees in harm$$s way.$$QuestiOns $|$ exerCises$1.$ Describe Jon$$s moral dilemma. $2.$ In AlumaArc$$s reasoning, the benefits of increasing production outweigh the risks of potential injuries. How could this approach potentially backfire? $3.$ How should Jon approach this issue?