Salacious Rumors

BUSINESS WRITING

The case of the salacious rumors.

You are the director of the graphic artists in the marketing department of an insurance company.  A recently hired employee is personable, industrious and quite attractive.  Although you are pleased with her work, you begin to hear rumors that she is bisexually promiscuous.  You ask your secretary if she has heard these rumors.  She says she has, but has heard no specific incidents discussed.  Later that same day, you overhear several employees talking about the new employee’s having been seen interacting with the vice president of the sales department.  From what you hear, the new employee had made salacious comments to the vice president.  At a meeting at the end of the week, you notice that the new employee is isolated from the other employees who either ignore her or look at her with disapproval or amusement.  You realize that the rumors are getting out of control and are affecting the morale of the department.

 

You practice a form of virtue ethics, so you are concerned about not only the conduct of this new employee but also her character.  You know that her sexual conduct is her business as long as it doesn’t disrupt the department or occur on company property.  However, you worry that her character may not be suitable for the conservative environment of an insurance company.  Nevertheless, you have no evidence that the rumors are true.

What should you do?

1. Call a department meeting to discuss the situation.
2. Dismiss the new employee since she is still in the probationary period of employment.
3. Reprimand the gossipers.
4. Ask the vice president of sales about his or her relationship with the new employee.
5. Confront the new employee.
6. Wait, investigate the situation, and then act if action seems necessary.
7. Consult the Human Resources Department to see what a counselor recommends.
8. Guide the new employee in choosing sexual partners.
9. Recommend the new employee be counseled in sexual behavior.
10. Discuss the situation with your department chairperson.
11. Write a memo to the new employee.

In a brief essay, explain your choices and why you made them.

EXPLANATION:

I recently attended a workshop on ethics, and from that experience, I have developed some writing assignments based on various ethical points of view.  This is the first. Feel free to borrow or develop your own ideas for writing assignments based on an ethical viewpoint.