MGT301A: Reflective Paper: Ethical Decision Making in the Workplace

This reflective paper analyzes an ethical dilemma encountered in the workplace, specifically focusing on a situation involving a colleague facing harassment and discrimination. The student reflects on their decision to address the issue, detailing the alternatives considered and the rationale behind their choice. The paper identifies and applies two ethical frameworks, deontology and utilitarianism, to evaluate the situation and the actions taken. It explores how these frameworks inform ethical decision-making, emphasizing the importance of personal values and responsibility in creating a positive and ethical work environment. The paper concludes by highlighting the impact of unethical behavior on both individuals and the overall workplace atmosphere, underscoring the significance of ethical considerations in professional practice.

Running head: REFLECTION
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Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Ethical decision making in workplace.................................................................................2
Reflection of the way the decision was made......................................................................2
Identification of two ethical frameworks.............................................................................3
References............................................................................................................................3

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Ethical decision making in workplace
An ethical decision is one where two alternatives are available and the decision maker
needs to evaluate as to which one is ethical and which is not (Wittmer, 2019). One such situation
has been faced by me in my workplace- where I was required to either voice my values or keep
silent like everyone else. One of my colleagues was being harassed and discriminated because of
her color and although whatever remarks were said were not made in a serious note, I felt that it
was wrong as my colleague felt embarrass and become uncomfortable with the comments.
Moreover the comments were made by our supervisor and as a result everyone decided to keep
quiet about the same event and did not take those remarks seriously. My colleague was
commented upon her looks and color (Schwartz, 2016). Moreover my friend had also tried to
directly talk to our supervisor about the same but the supervisor said that he made all those
comments with no intention of hurting her and said that she was overthinking about the same.
Reflection of the way the decision was made
After regular incidents of discrimination and harassment against my colleague, I decided
to approach our HR as I felt that it would be the right thing to do in that situation (Cottrell,
2017). In the above mentioned situation, I had two alternatives that is- I could have either
decided to keep quite just like everyone else did or I could speak up against the harassment and
the discriminative practices that was carried out in the organization. I decided to voice my values
because I could not let such practices continue in our workplace as that was also creating a
negative work environment for everyone. Moreover I could not compromise with my values and
that is why I decided not to keep quite. Further I always feel that I am a responsible person and
therefore I have a responsibility towards others also and therefore I made my decision not to

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keep quite. I was continuously seeing my colleague, who was also a good friend to me getting
affected by the incidents that were taking place in the organization. Her performance was getting
affected as she used to think about the incidents that were happening to her. This in turn was also
creating negative work environment in the organization because the employees morale was
continuously decreasing as such incidents had not only occurred with my friend but also with
others.
Identification of two ethical frameworks
The two main ethical frameworks that can be applied to this situation includes the
deontology framework and the utilitarian framework of ethics (Hennig & Hütter, 2020). I feel
that these two theories are applicable as according to the ethical deontology theory, every
individual has a responsibility towards others and towards the society in which they exist.
Moreover according to the utilitarian approach, those actions are considered to be ethical which
leads to greater benefits for others. Moreover in this situation, I felt that my decision of speaking
up for my values will lead to greater good for others and not just my friend. Hence I identified
the theory of deontology and utilitarian as the two ethical frameworks that can be applied to the
unethical incident that has occurred at my workplace.

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References
Cottrell, S. (2017). Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Hennig, M., & Hütter, M. (2020). Revisiting the divide between deontology and utilitarianism in
moral dilemma judgment: A multinomial modeling approach. Journal of personality and
social psychology, 118(1), 22.
Schwartz, M. S. (2016). Ethical decision-making theory: An integrated approach. Journal of
Business Ethics, 139(4), 755-776.
Wittmer, D. P. (2019). Ethical decision-making. In Handbook of administrative ethics (pp. 507-
534). Routledge.