ETHICAL HR SCENARIO FOR DISCUSSION Human Resource professionals often face situations where they must navigate gray areas where there is not necessarily a right or wrong course of action. Read the following scenario and reflect on what you have learned about the HR Department s role in organizational ethics. SCENARIO: You are the HR Manager for a large manufacturing company with multiple locations. HR Representatives at remote locations contact you prior to issuing serious discipline or termination. You receive a call from an HR Rep at one of the company s manufacturing plants in another part of the state. The HR Rep is really worked up, and relays the following information to you: - Yesterday afternoon the HR department received a call from a local apartment complex with a question regarding a verification of employment and pay that had been provided to the complex by Mariah Jones, one of the plant s employees. The verification form was signed by the plant HR Rep, so the apartment complex manager addressed his question to this Rep. - The question the apartment manager had was regarding Mariah s pay. The complex had asked for the employee s weekly pay, but the form was filled in with $12.00, which appeared to be an hourly rate. - The HR Rep did not remember completing this form, and asked the apartment complex manager to send a copy of the form via FAX. - When the HR Rep received the verification form, she realized that she had NOT completed the form, nor had anyone in the HR office. She became angry that someone had apparently forged her name. - The HR Rep called Mariah to her office and asked how the apartment complex received this completed form. - Mariah admitted that she had completed the form herself. She stated that she was going through a messy break-up, and her boyfriend had kicked herself and her two small children out of the apartment they had shared. She was staying with a friend, but could only stay there for a few days. She didn t want to be on the street with her kids, and so she panicked. When the apartment manager gave her the form, she thought it would be faster to fill it out herself than to wait the typical 3 days for HR to fill it out. The HR Rep is furious that someone would forge her signature. In addition to feeling personally affronted, she feels that this is a direct violation of the company s misconduct policy (which prohibits acts including forgery, falsification, and any other act of dishonesty ). Company policy states that Misconduct can be grounds for discipline up to and including immediate termination. The HR Rep wants this employee to be terminated. You review the information provided by the HR Rep, as well as the company s policy. You also review the personnel file of Mariah Jones. Mariah has been with the company for seven years, and has received at least average performance reviews throughout her time with the company (her performance recently has been rated as above average). Mariah was placed on a 1st level written warning for attendance 51/2 years ago. After the written warning she did not have further problems with attendance. RESPOND: Create an initial post to this response by no later than 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. Then, respond to at least two of your peers posts. Your initial post should address the following: What would you do? Clearly state the action you would authorize with regards to this scenario. "What are the legal AND ethical considerations with this scenario? How could your decision impact development and/or maintenance of the company s employment culture? " Discuss at least one ethical concept from the text (or from a prior course) related to this scenario