Essay formatQuestions:1. If ethics was so heavily emphasized by Wells Fargo, why did so many unethical actions occur?2. How could the company and supervisors have helped to prevent other employees from feeling so overwhelmed and, hence, justified in their wrongful behavior?3. Is it the bank's fault if employees resort to unethical means of meeting sales quotas?4. How could a supervisor affect the sales culture at Wells Fargo?

A Supervision Challenge Ethical Sales Like other companies, Wells Fargo is a business where sales are important. Sales from within the branchifrom checking accounts, to overdraft protection, to lines of credit and moreare a key factor in Wells Fargo's success. In order to secure these sales, Wells Fargo relies heavily on its employees to connect with customers and sell them these services and products, and these services and products themselves can actually be very benecial for customers. For example, a customer with a checking account might genuinely benet from opening a savings account in order to prevent the risk of a check bouncing. This means less stress about monitoring the balance of the checking account. A customer who has several ties to a bank is also more likely to stay with that bank than a customer with only one account at the bank, so this becomes a winwin situation: The customer gets quality services or products and the bank gets a satised customer who will keep coming back. The challenge arises when tellers become too overwhelmed by the pressure to make sales. Recently, bank tellers and their supervisors have been coming forward to criticize the high-pressure sales environment at Wells Fargo. It seems that in efforts to makes sales and meet quotas, many employees resorted to unethical behavior, often out of fear of losing theirjobs. In December 2013, the Los Angeles Times investigated these accusations of unethical behavior at Wells Fargo. Tellers had set quotas, and supervisors were expected to ensure that these quotas were met. This created a stressful work environment for everyone. Tellers stayed late, attended additional training or call sessions, and felt threatened with job termination if they did not meet their sales quotas. Supervisors coached coworkers to help them make sales, but they also felt the pressure of lagging numbers. If their tellers did not meet quotas then the supervisor was held responsible for not enforcing the standards set for their team. Working conditions became unbearable for many. The pressure of sales was so intense that some tellers began manipulating customers and taking actions customers did not agree to. Employees trying to meet their sales goals friends and family members to open accounts. Credit cards were ordered for customers who did not authorize them. One teller supervisor, who requested anonymity during the investigation, even discovered that a woman who was homeless was convinced to open six checking and savings accounts, which would cost $39 each month in fees. The woman had only come to the bank to open a free account where she could have her disability benefits directly deposited. The supervisor helped the woman cancel the unnecessary accounts, but the moment stands out as one where the ethics of the bank employees were becoming obviously questionable due to the panic of making sales. Amidst all of these stories, Wells Fargo did attempt to rectify the unethical behavior. In October 2013, 30 employees were red for opening fake accounts to meet their sales quotas. Further, Wells Fargo has emphasized its formal code of ethics which is 18 pages long; the supervisor's role is clearly defined under \"Manager and Leadership Responsibilities\" and lists several expectations including two key responsibilities: - \"Be an example of ethical behavior.\" - \"Make team members understand that prot is not more important than ethics.\