A Friendly Sanitarian, Case Study Example

Ethical Issues

The ethical issue presented in this case involves Art Gross, an overly friendly sanitarian for Dell City. Because of Art’s friendliness, he lacks the ability to carry out certain responsibilities of his job. His coworkers often cover for him because he is a nice guy who does favors for them, however his work performance is becoming a concern for others. One of the concerned inspectors, Chris, decides to take the issue up with Jeff, Art’s and Chris’s boss. Specifically, Chris has a problem with a recent incident in which Art pushed for giving a restaurant manager a warning instead of official sanctioning according to the rules. This was because Art was friends with the restaurant manager and he consequently told Chris that this is what he had always done at his last job for the last 10 years. Art’s work history has been spotty in the past, but he is well liked.

Another ethical issue in this case involves Jeff’s negligence in bringing up Art’s inconsistent work performance and failing to address it during Art’s most recent performance evaluation. Because of this, Art was never given prior warnings or improvement guidelines for his behavior.

Alternative Solutions

As an alternative solution to the concerns with Art, Jeff must discuss the ethical violations right away and put a stop to Art’s “favors.” It is important for Jeff to have a meeting with Art and specifically address Chris’s concern, as well as the previous issues that were not discussed during the last performance evaluation. Otherwise, Art may continue with his actions with no regard to the extent of his violations. Because Art previously exhibited this type of behavior at this last job, he has been effectively trained to continue working this way and must be reeducated in the organizations code of ethics and regulations in which they must operate.

Consequences of Alternative Solutions

The consequences of the alternative solution with either result in Art’s proper implementation and adherence to the organization’s rules and policies or he will continue on the same path and ignore the rules. If he does not change the way he inspects and issues violations, he is risking his job, as well as further risking the organization’s reputation for adhering to the rules. If Art does start acting within the ethical boundaries of his job, he will keep his job while also strengthening his values and work ethic.

Final Recommendation

My final recommendation is to have a meeting with Art in which the specific incident is discussed, as well as giving him a written warning for the incident. This warning will require Art and myself to write down and agree upon the steps he must take in order to improve his work performance. This will include an overview of the organization’s rules, policies and ethical guidelines. Art will sign the warning as acknowledgment of performance improvement. Three months after the written warning, I will have a special performance evaluation with Art to discuss his improvement or lack thereof in relation to the written warning. If he has not improved and if the violations continue, he will be put on probation for another three months, and if any other violations occur during those three months, he will be terminated. If he continues to violate the same rules, it is likely that he cannot be reeducated for the duties of the job within the organization.

References

Svara, J. H. (2014). The ethics primer for public administrators in government and nonprofit organizations. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.