Analytical Report Employee Behaviour and Working Relationships

The study paper has been described to discuss the management of one of the fundamental business ethical dilemmas. Precisely, contemporary business organisations need to identify the foundational issues related to business ethics, so that management of workforce will become effective. In the management of employee behaviour and working relationships, one of the most conventional ethical dilemmas is manager’s role in dealing with the claims of workplace harassment. Through the identification of the particular business ethics dilemma, the study considers moral reasoning and significant ethical principles describing the issue from a broader perspective (Dale, 2016). Moreover, the issue has been discussed at the individual level, organisational level, and corporate social level to define the impact on the same based on moral stance. Notably, the critical analysis of the identified issue has been illustrated in the study based on the question of morality and challenges to be considered by modern firms. However, the importance of ethics to the contemporary business management must be evaluated at the individual, organisational, and corporate social level. Dealing with the issue of ethical dilemmas such as workplace bullying or harassment claim management in the management of employee behaviour and working relationships, the role of the manager should be evident. Meanwhile, ignoring the workplace bullying or workplace harassment cases can create an adverse impact on the employee engagement and reputation of the firm (Teare, 2016). Modern organisations need to identify the essence of employee relation management so that any internal ethical issues can be dealt with severity. Precisely, the management of the human resource must protect the civil rights of the employees to avoid issues leading to discriminatory harassment due to gender, religion, race, colour, and employee background, etc (O'Leary-Kelly and Bowes-Sperry, 2001). In order to control the problems of managing workplace bullying and harassment claims, suitable organisational ethical code of conduct and employee regulations must be developed. By considering the law of discrimination, such ethical problems should be tackled irrespective of any other aspects (Armstrong and Francis, 2014). However, the manager needs to investigate the impact of the issue at the broader level so that the damage control must be done quickly. For instance, some of the reputed companies have tried to solve the issue internally so that the overall status and reputation of the business cannot be hampered (Stevens, 2010). Herein, the ethical liability of the company should be questioned. Furthermore, in dealing with the ethical dilemmas such as workplace bullying and harassment claims in managing employee behaviour and working relationships, the management team needs to verify each aspect of the problem as the issue can affect the employment of an individual employee (McCabe and Hardman, 2005). Apparently, the ethical code of conduct and workplace guidelines must state the employees what actions should be acceptable within the workplace. Understandably, workplace bullying can destroy the entire culture of the business organisation. For a manager’s point of view, in the decision-making of a harassment claim, it is important to investigate the type of humiliation involved in the case. Proper investigation and evidence must be conducted so that the emotional stress of the plaintiff can be redeemed (Lieber, 2008). However, certain challenges must be overcome by the managers dealing with the issues of managing harassment claims and workplace bullying. One of the most significant challenges in managing the cases of workplace harassment is the position of the accused. In many of the instances, the senior executives have been accused of the harassing the staff members based on sex, gender, race, or religion, etc (Fevre, Grainger and Brewer, 2010). Therefore, managers may face significant administrative pressure to handle the case internally. As a result of the consequences, independent investigation and witness related to the case can be manipulated. Alternatively, in the case of sexual harassment claims and other discriminatory cases, responding to the complaints has been delayed so that the severity of the matter cannot affect the culture of the organisation (Hirsh and Lyons, 2010). However, in the management of employee behaviour and working relationships based on moral and ethical aspects, managers need to evaluate what is right according to the stated ethical code of conduct. The decision-making standards of the manager need to distinct the practice of workplace romance and sexual harassment so that the accused employee can get the right punishment for the offence (Boland, 2005). By listing the inappropriate behaviours that can be considered as workplace bullying, managers of the modern firms can ensure right practices while handling such cases of harassment claims (Thrasher et al., 2016). If an employee has been found guilty, legal actions should be taken to set an example. The ethical dilemmas have several implications of the organisation at different levels. For example, the individuals facing the harassments are directly impacted by the issues. On the other hand, the managers as a representative of the organisation need to deal with the issues or uncertainties (Trevin?o and Nelson, 2011). Furthermore, the ethical issues may result in loss of reputation of the organisation among the external stakeholders of the firm. Hence, it is important for the HR department to maintain separate policies and strategies to deal with the ethical dilemmas to smoothly carry on the operations of the firm. The influence of workplace harassment in different levels have been analysed in details in the below section. It is a responsibility of a person to work according to the policies of the organisation and to help others working in a safe and secured environment. Furthermore, in the management of employee behaviour and working relationships, the role of the managers is to provide a better working condition to the employees in order to improve their performance. The ethical dilemma of workplace harassment management has several negative impacts over the individuals who face such issues. On the other hand, it impacts the morality of the surrounding people working under the same condition. The effect of harassment over an individual may range from simple frustration to extreme depression (O'Leary-Kelly and Bowes-Sperry, 2001). The subjects of these types of behaviours often lose their morale and self esteem. Moreover, the incidents may lead the subjects to frequent disruption and make them unable to concentrate on their jobs. The issues of workplace harassment may lead to inconsistent timekeeping, lack of commitment, increased absenteeism. On the other hand, low performance may even lead to resignation (Trevin?o and Nelson, 2011). Additionally, anxieties can also be noticed in the life of the victims as well as their family.   It can be seen through study that irrespective of different HR policies and strict government regulations, several cases of workplace harassment can be seen throughout the globe. Hence, the development of policies and ways to handle the situations will not be the ultimate way to mitigate the issue. The management must focus on developing the mindset among every individual in the workforce to influence people committing such nuisance (Trevin?o and Nelson, 2011). In context to the impact of workplace on the organisational level, the reduced morale and self-esteem of the employees directly influences the affectivity and performance of the organisation. The cases of workplace harassment impact the motivation and satisfaction level of the victims (Thrasher et al., 2016). On the other hand, the cases of ethical dilemmas also influence the surrounding employees who are not directly connected to the issue. Workplace harassment leads to high employee turnover, absenteeism, reduce productivity, lose of initiative, lack of creativity, and lack of performance (Oyewunmi, 2013). Hence, the issues of harassment lead to negative impact over the organisation and its internal reputation. Precisely, by admitting consequentiality theory of morality and ethics, responsibility towards the employees should be protected and promoted by the management of any organisation. Such theoretical aspect will influence the decision making of the managers dealing in claims o f workplace harassment. It is important for the managers to deal with the cases of workplace harassment on a serious note. The managers act as a representative of the organisation and must help the employees facing such problems. It is the duty of the managers to promote people to come up and speak to the management regarding such issues (Perry, 2013). On the other hand, the personal feelings of the managers must not interfere with the objectives required to handle such problems in the organisation (Geppert and Roberts, 2007). Hence, it is important for the managers to maintain good relationship with the workforce to know every detail of the daily operations and avoid the occurrence of such ethical dilemmas in the workplace. By setting poor examples of ethical disputes within the business environment, the upward success graph of the corporate business can be cut short. Precisely, failure to control the ethical issues within the corporate management, organisations can face substantial challenges such as legal issues, employee performance, employee relations, and credibility issues in business dimension. Following the duty theory of ethics, foundational principle must be taken into consideration by the management to deal with the cases and claims of harassment within the organisation. The duty theory promotes right things first irrespective of any situation. During the management of sexual harassment scandals or humiliation of employee, company guidelines and legal directives should be followed at the highest level to protect the corporate social dignity of the enterprise. If the management of modern firms have failed to mitigate the workplace harassment cases, scandals regarding harassment issues can dire ctly make an adverse impact on the organisational status as well as financial position of the company (Fevre, Grainger and Brewer, 2010). Due to such ethical issues and controversies, the stakeholders and investors may have lost their faith on the company. As a result of the scenario, the overall business proceedings can be diminished. At the same time, if such ethical issues cannot be handled according to the law and directives, a negative message can be sent to the rest of the workforce. Therefore, the intensity and employee engagement at the work will be reduced. Thus, the employee productivity will be affected as well. Furthermore, failure to deal with such ethical dilemmas can adversely affect the employee relations. Unethical behaviours in the workforce can increase tension among the employees. Thus, the collaboration and dedication within the workforce will reduce in a substantial order. On a broader perspective, failure to manage the workplace bullying and other harassment cases can be a huge setback towards the business credibility of the firm (Faldu, 2012). Due to lack of ethical guidelines, the organisation may have lost their target audience. Meanwhile, the impact of such event will be substantial in the business framework. Also, the consumer confidence towards the organisation will be reduced as well. On the basis of the above analysis, it is important for the management of every organisation to take necessary steps in order to mitigate the ethical dilemmas and develop a healthy and safe workplace for the employee. Some recommendations have been discussed herein below to deal with the problems of workplace harassment: By considering the above analysis, the management is responsible for maintaining the organisational behaviour and promote corporate culture in the firm. There are several cases of workplace harassments that are faced by the organisation that directly impacts the productivity and reputation of the firm. On the other hand, the issues of workplace harassments lead to anxiety in the life of the victims and their family. Hence, it is the duty of the managers to promote ethical practices in the firm by developing adequate HR policies and introducing appropriate training and development programmes. Conclusively, the management must take necessary steps to manage the ethical dilemmas to maintain a safe and health workplace for the employees. Armstrong, A. and Francis, R. (2014). Assessing Ethical Governance in a Policing Environment.  Journal of Law and Governance, 3(3). Boland, M. 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