Describe in brief the two approaches to employee treatment discussed in this chapter.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There are two very distinct, and sometimes competing, perspectives on the ethics of workplace relationships. On one hand, employers might decide to treat employees well as a means to produce greater workplace harmony and productivity. This approach, focusing on end results, could be reminiscent of the utilitarian ethics. Research suggests that effective firms are characterized by a set of common practices, all of which involve treating employees in humane and respectful ways. Though it is a relatively new area of research, studies suggest that managers can have a significant impact on the emotions of their workers, and this impact can greatly affect productivity and loyalty, as well as perceptions of fairness, care, and concern.
On the other hand, of course, employers might treat employees well out of a Kantian sense of duty and rights, regardless of the either utilitarian or self-interested productivity consequences. This deontological approach emphasizes the rights and duties of all employees, and treating employees well simply because "it is the right thing to do." Defenders of employee rights argue that rights should protect important employee interests from being constantly subjected to utilitarian and financial calculations. This sense of duty might stem from the law, professional codes of conduct, corporate codes of conduct, or such moral principles as fairness, justice, or human rights on the part of the organization's leadership.