Case Scenario:
1. My organization does not have an ethics office however, our ethics officers are called Ombudsmen. The Ombudsmen are two employees who have been with the company since 1990 and have moved through the ranks. Their purpose is serve as a representative to all staff to aid in resolving issues, problems or complaints. The Ombudsmen are the ethics officers in that they ensure the organization is treating employees ethically, professionally and fairly in accordance with our Code of Ethics. They will act as a neutral party int eh event issues arise. According to Trevino and Nelson, "these individuals are expected to provide leadership and strategies for ensuring that the firm's standards of business conduct are communicated and upheld throughout the organization" (pg 212). Because the Ombudsmen have been with the company for so long and have held numerous positions, they are able to relate to all employees from new hires to executives. My organization is very tight-nit so hiring an insider for this role was very important and in my opinion creates the atmosphere of respect. The Ombudsmen are both fair and trustworthy to provide and deliver information to staff. On the Ombudsmen page, information on different situations provides direction of others in the company you could contact and do note that if senior management is needed to provide an answer they will reach out. The ethics infrastructure for my organization is centralized because we must all follow regulations put out by the government and allows for organization for all of the divisions within the company (Trevino & Nelson, pg 213).
The position for the Ombudsmen is fairly new however, executives for my organization have always preached an open door policy concerning any issues. My organization does not have a formal Human Resources department so the Ombudsmen serve as this role in addition to those in the employee benefits group. Our Ombudsmen communicate company "values, standards, and policies in a variety of formal and informal ways" which correlate to the organizations culture (Trevino & Nelson, pg 215). Seminars, email blasts, and the internal website serves as avenues for communicating ethics. In addition to the Ombudsmen providing information, employees are able to use the "Question Box" to submit their questions. In addition to the Question Box, employees are encouraged to communicate directly with the Ombudsmen if they feel the need. In promoting a healthy ethical culture, leadership evaluations, self-evaluations and touch-bases are used by the company to ensure all employee voices are heard at different levels.
MacLean, C. (2016). Ask the Ombudsmen. MEDITECH Intranet. Retrieved from: https://staff.meditech.com/en/d/staffhandbook/pages/asktheombudsmen.htm
MacLean, C. (2015).MEDITECH Staff Ombudsmen. MEDITECH Intranet. Retrieved from: https://staff.meditech.com/en/d/staffhandbook/pages/staffombudsman.htm
Trevino, L.K. & Nelson, K.A. (2014). Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How To Do It Right (6th ed). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
2. In my profession, we do have an ethics office as well as an ethics officer. I currently serve as a sports coordinator at the YMCA, along with having the opportunity to be an assistant athletic director. Both scenarios provide their employees with an ethics supervisor to oversee the production and to make sure everything is running to his/her liking. At the YMCA in Michigan, there is a central office located in downtown Grand Rapids that is strictly in place to answer any questions or concerns, not to mention assist with the hiring, scheduling and financial aid process from branch to branch. As a sports director, I have one person in particular who oversees my work and that would be the branch coordinator and ethics supervisor. Her work is extremely important to help keep the YMCA running smoothly and staying on course with the standards that are put into place. Staci assists with running the variety of YMCA's in the greater Grand Rapids region on top of answering any questions from parents which play into her day to day activities. In the text, it states that "some organizations delegate ethics management responsibilities widely, finding that a strong statement of values and a strong ethical culture can keep the ethics management effort together" (Trevino & Nelson, 2014, P. 211). This scenario is a perfect example of my other line of work as an athletic director. We don't necessarily have an ethics office, but we do have multiple offices that take on the responsibilities and duties within ethics. Each building shares the load with the principle other staff members to maintain a strong ethical foundation.
Having some big responsibilities in both positions I work closely with the ethic offices and coordinators. A lot of times within the school district I am asked to help with ethical dilemmas and support the coordinator in the decision-making process. Both opportunities provide me with the chance to stay in constant contact with my supervisors on site which helps keep not just me, but everyone in the loop on expectations and standards held. At the YMCA, Staci helps go over daily activities with me which include: coming up with new ideas for summer camp, new discipline tactics, finding out what materials are needed to help do our job right along with what she thinks will work and not work. She is quite hands on when it comes to the hiring process. The final decision ultimately is mine, but her opinion has a big pull in who we hire and don't hire. Staci also comes by twice a month to make sure our work lines up with the ethical standards put into place, and to assist in any way possible. This is refreshing knowing that I have someone in my corner that wants me to succeed, and is there to help if any trouble comes into play. In my school districts I must complete five ethic classes, on top of attending a seminar to help with scenarios like whistle blowing, bullying and many other things. If I didn't have the guidance and the help at each job site I know the standards and ethics that are in place now would be nonexistence. Having such a strong ethical system put into place accompanied by strong leadership has helped grow and maintain high standards within the organizations.
The best thing for both organizations is the fact that both supervisors are well respected, not just within the company but in the community as well. Staci and Matt both have big responsibilities such as maintaining strong principles, in addition to getting the staff to buy into the vision that they have. They are selfless, always wanting to help and put the staff and customers' needs ahead of their own. Not to mention they both have open door policies that allow your voice to be heard, and enables you help make decisions on improving systems that are put into place. They are well respected through their work ethics, how they conduct themselves along with what they stand for. The staff within the organization love working for them, and they are very personable which is extremely important when it comes to leadership.
Trevino, L.K. & Nelson, K.A. (2014). Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How To Do It Right (6th ed). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.