Imminent Layoffs Thoughtful managers sometimes face business...

Imminent Layoffs

Thoughtful managers sometimes face business problems that raise difficult, deeply personal questions. In these situations, managers find themselves wondering: Do I have to leave some of my values at home when I go to work? How much of myself-and of what I really care about-do I have to sacrifice to get ahead? When I get to the office, who am I?

Difficult questions like these are often matters of right versus right, not right versus wrong. Sometimes, a manager faces a difficult problem and must choose between two ways of resolving it. Each alternative is the right thing to do, but there is no way to do both.

Consider, for example, the problem faced by Rebecca Dennet, a branch manager for a major bank. Her boss, a senior executive, told her that her branch would be shut down in two months, shortly after the first of the year. The executive asked Dennet to keep the information confidential because important regulatory papers had yet to be filed, and she agreed to do so.

Two days later, a coworker who is also a long time good friend asked Dennet if she knew anything about the rumor that the branch would soon be closed. When she hesitated, the coworker grew impatient and said, "Look, this is serious. There aren't a lot of jobs around here. Do I cut back on Christmas gifts? Do you know anything?"

Please address these questions in your essay:

• What moral issues are found in this scenario?
• What should Rebecca do?
• What if Rebecca's co-worker told her that she was weighing an offer from another bank, but really wanted to stay put?
• What if this other employee happened to be a subordinate rather than a co-worker?