Case 2-A: WorkLife Balance

Julie, executive vice-president of Big Bank of America, loved working for the bank and openly acknowledged that part of the reason she was so enthusiastic about her employer was because of their espoused values and principles in regard to issues of worklife balance for their employees. However, as she looked around her office this Friday afternoon and took in the view of stacks and stacks of files related to the upcoming acquisition of Main Street Bank she realized she was in for a long weekend of work. She had been anxiously anticipating a relaxing weekend with her significant other and their two young children as sort of a payback for the long hours she had been working in preparation for the acquisition. She reluctantly sighed as she realized this was the price of her high-paying job and there was no way she would finish the required analysis and report by the end of the day. Furthermore, she had just taken an urgent call from the bank president, indicating that he needed a report on the delivery of some specific acquisition closing documents first thing Monday morning. Apparently, several major decisions regarding the acquisition were to be made during the following week.

Julie thought, I have always been proud to be an executive of Big Bank of America. I know I hold a special position as the first female executive vice-president with the bank. That means getting the job done for the bank, particularly the executives who supported my promotion and provided me the opportunity to show what I am capable of accomplishing. But how far do my obligations go? There is no way I can get the paperwork completed without spending most of the weekend in here. I have been spending more and more time at work during the past six months. Where do I draw the line? Should my responsibilities to the bank ever outweigh the needs of my family and life partner? I have scheduled time off coming up; what if some big issue emerges with the acquisition just as my family and I are scheduled to go on vacation? Do I owe it to the Big Bank of America to postpone my vacation?

As Julie considered the ethical decision as it related to her position with the bank: if the acquisition process did not go smoothly because she couldnt provide enough support, the bank would suffer. As a result, her career, and ultimately her family, could suffer. Clearly, her best business decision would be to work all weekend to complete the reports for the acquisition. On the other hand, as she considered the ethical dilemma in regard to her family, her relationship was already under stress because of the needs of her two young children and stay-at-home partner. Clearly her best family relationship decision would be to spend the weekend with them as promised. These questions touched on Julies deepest values and, depending on which position she chose, she could express strong arguments for both decisions.

1. Obviously, Julie has a problem - an ethical problem. Should she spend the weekend working in her office (which the bank fully expected) or should she spend the weekend with her family (who were desperately in need of her attention)? Support your position.

2. If Julie spends the weekend working, should she later initiate an executive discussion of the bank's espoused values and principles in regard to issues of work-life balance for their employees? Support your position.

3. If Julie opts to spend the weekend with her family what should she expect in terms of workplace reaction and how should she prepare to defend her family-oriented ethical decision?

4. Concerning the third question, conduct research on the Internet to support your thinking. Be sure to link to the URL address(es) of the articles you read.