Business Ethics

Business Ethics

Submitted by Thomas Stidl

         Many subjects cross my desk.  When something like business ethics crosses my desk, I take a great deal of notice.  All of us are human beings.  We are all prone to sickness and death due to the first sin of Adam and Eve.  Keeping this in mind, how should supervisors and managers handle the sickness or injury of an employee?  One should care for that person insuring that this person who is ill is allowed to heal and return to work.  He should not be fired.  He should not be replaced permanently by any means.  Some companies may say that if you have two or more medical leaves in one year, it may be grounds for dismissal.  This is wrong.

         Management should adopt a policy that when a department manager is ill, all managers should loan a person from their department to cover the daily workload.  Yes, it will be a hardship on all department managers and employees.  All must remember that this is a team effort.  The sickly person may lose their sick, personal and vacation days by use, but this is normal.

         If management has dismissed a person in the past, they should apologize to the employee and offer that person their former work position in the organization.  Management should also confess his or her sins to a priest and receive absolution for all the pain caused to the employee.  They must also make a firm amendment never to commit this act again to anyone.

         There are two more things to consider when dealing with a sickly person.  Both of them apply to individuals as well as companies.  “As you do to others, it will be done to you” and “love thy neighbor as you love yourself.”  This is number one.  Number two is equally daunting.  After you die, you will be asked to give an accounting of your stewardship of your life.  How would you explain what you did to a sickly person to the perfect judge of all humankind?  How appalled would it be if that type of judgment occurred while you are still in human flesh?  This type of judgment is called the Illumination of Conscience.  That will be discussed in my next article.

         Until next time, Laus Tibi, Christe.  Deo Gratias.  Gloria Tibi Domini.  Praise be to God.  See you in Paradise. Amen.