The main professional issue presented in this case is intimidation (bullying) of a junior employee by his supervisor. Janice intimidated John to have him comply with her orders or face low performance rating. Janice’s orders were that John allows her to use his program and present it to her boss as her own. In effect, Janice’s boss could never get to know that it was John’s effort and therefore John could not get due recognition for searching the program. In essence, Janice wanted to benefit unfairly from another employee’s efforts, which is unethical.
According to Maarit (203-204), intimidation by senior supervisors is a common tactic used to create an artificial atmosphere of fear among juniors that something bad may happen unless specific orders are obeyed. The idea that bosses can command their juniors to do things because they are afraid makes intimidation an ineffective tactic for insecure, weak and uncommitted bosses. The problem is that the fear stimulated by such kind of workplace bullying robs junior employees of the ability to perform at optimal levels. For this reason, use of intimidation as a management strategy by seniors can be counterproductive and destructive. Intimidation can also affect workplace safety and trust especially when the involved parties have to work as a team.
Janice’s unprofessional actions can also have far-reaching implications for the company. For one, it can lead to higher turnover if John and other employees decide to look for jobs elsewhere. This can be costly for the company, as it will have to hire and train new employees only to lose them, possibly to a rival company. If word spreads around that the company has a hostile working environment where employees are intimidated, it can be difficult for the company to hire quality employees (Sarah, Lutgen-Sandvik & Alberts, 153). Intimidation can also result in loss of innovations since the person intimidating others (in this case Janice) is only interested in attacking her victims instead of advancing the company’s agenda. As a result, the victim becomes less likely to share or generate new ideas. For instance, if Janice goes ahead to present John’s program as her own, it is possible that in future, John will not have the motivation to do a similar work.
Alternative Solutions to the Issue
There are many alternative solutions to this issue and all of them require efforts by the involved parties as well as the management of the company. The first and most effective solution is for John to have a discussion with Janice and explain to her that it is wrong to intimidate him. If the discussion is fruitful, the two can agree to present the work jointly as a product of teamwork (Sarah, Lutgen-Sandvik & Alberts, 153). This is however not likely to happen because John in her assistant and she has already threatened to either fire him or down grade his performance ratings. Even if it happens, John will not get the much-needed promotion and praise because it will be considered team effort.
The second alternative is for John to report the matter to the highest-level supervisor, in this case Janice’s immediate boss. In many organizations, regulations require that employees who feel bullied must speak up. Because he has been intimidated (not for a fault of his own), John has an ethical obligation to report the issue so that the company can have an opportunity to take remedial action. Reporting may save other employees from the destructive tendency of being intimidated in the workplace. The only shortcoming related to this alternative is that reporting may dampen the working relationship between the two employees (Maarit, 206).
The third option is for John to sue Janice for causing him emotional distress by threatening to fire him. Threatening to fire employees can lead to anxiety, depression and other health complications. If john suffered any of these complications, he can seek legal redress. However, taking such a step can be too costly and the case may end up being dismissed by the courts for lack of evidence. The last option is to look for a job elsewhere. If the working relationship becomes unbearable because of the intimidation, it is advisable for John to quit working with the company. It can however be difficult for John to find job elsewhere is the job market is saturated. In any event, the company cannot afford to lose such a hard working employee. Therefore, it is not advisable to take this last option (Killoren, 106).
Recommended Solution
In view of the positive and negative outcomes associated with each of the above alternative solutions, it is recommended that John reports the unethical issue to senior management. Reporting will see each party given an opportunity to present their cases and be heard. This will undoubtedly lead to amicable resolution of the matter to the satisfaction of the concerned parties. Moreover, reporting will give the management an opportunity to address root causes and related behaviors that result in workplace bullying. At the end of it all, it will restore good working relationships among all employees in the organization.
Works Cited
Killoren Robert. The Toll of Workplace Bullying. Research Management Review. 20(1), 2014.
Maarit Vartia. The sources of bullying–psychological work environment and organizational climate. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(2), pp. 203-214, 2006.
Tracy Sarah, Lutgen-Sandvik, Pamela & Alberts, Jess. Nightmares, Demons and Slaves, Exploring the Painful Metaphors of Workplace Bullying. Management Communication Quarterly 20 (2): 151–152, 2006.
