Response to Unethical Managers

At the organizational level, ethics is concerned with the right leadership and conducts,
which are essential in influencing other individuals to attain the set goals. Ethics is critical in
leadership and requires a leader or manager to lead and behave ethically. Unfortunately, this
expectation is not always the case in the workplace. An organization brings together all sorts of
leaders, some of whom may not consider ethics in their conduct. Although all workers are
expected to behave ethically, individuals in authority may abuse their power in various ways that
enslave or exploit their junior members. Such unprofessional bosses’ actions usually damage
employees’ morale, leaving them frustrated. It also tends to bring unnecessary tensions within the
work environment, impacting work quality. If the managers maintain unfair treatment,
subordinates can take it upon themselves to try to resolve the situation productively.
In the case where a new employee is being overworked by a lazy supervisor who clocks
in late, the new staff should first take time to study the company’s culture and overall behaviour
within the firm. It may be the company’s culture that managers and supervisors exploit their
junior staff, who must cooperate without question. Acting hastily without a keen understanding
of the organization may yield negative results. At this stage, one may also seek to know why the
supervisor is chronically late in reporting for duty. Here, one may know whether the boss needs
to be covered for serious reasons, such as family issues. Understanding the setting would thus
allow one to make calculated moves to resolve the issue.
If it is clear that the manager is acting out of mere negligence, then the junior member
can confront the supervisor and explain the issue rationally. Explain that the unethical behaviour
frustrates and demotivates you and other employees (Pearson, 2017). Put it clear that one needs
flexible schedules that prevent burn-outs and improve output quality, elevating the company’s

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status. A rational talk may yield mutual respect between the parties, but unprofessional leaders
may not change their behaviour.
If the talk does not resolve the situation, one may engage another supervisor to step in
and help solve the issue. Leaders seek advice from their counterparts. They are, therefore, more
likely to listen and follow the directions presented to them by their peers (Saundry, Bennett, &
Wibberley, 2018). One should also be careful not to raise the matter at this stage as a complaint
but as a request so that the supervisor may not feel attacked.
Where the unprofessional supervisor fails to listen to peers, one may escalate the issue to
the Human Resource representative for further assistance. The junior staff should also rationally
present the matter, seeking direction. One may request a transfer to another post under a different
supervisor or a new section altogether (Saundry, Bennett, & Wibberley, 2018). The subordinate
should insist that they want to stay with the organization but find it difficult to perform under
such leadership. If consulting the Human Resources department does not resolve the situation,
the junior member may start thinking of finding a new job or persevering with the problem.
Unfair treatment at the workplace limits collaboration in goal attainment. It also, among
other adverse consequences, damages the morale of junior workers, limiting production within a
firm. Therefore, managers should try to embrace ethical leadership whenever they guide other
individuals in an organization. To improve the situation, employees who feel that unethical
supervisors are mistreating them should resolve the issue rationally without escalating the matter
to higher managers. After determining that a supervisor knowingly acts unprofessionally, the
worker can confront the leader or engage another supervisor in a rational dialogue or mediation.
One may also present the issue to the managers and then decide whether to stay with the
organization or seek employment elsewhere.

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References

Pearson, R. (2017). Business ethics as communication ethics: Public relations practice and the
idea of dialogue. In Public Relations Theory, (pp. 111-131). Routledge.
Saundry, R., Bennett, T., & Wibberley, G. (2018). Inside the mediation room-efficiency, voice
and equity in workplace mediation. The International Journal of Human Resource
Management, vol. 29(6), pp 1157-1177.