Ethical Issues of Lay Offs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical Issues of Lay Offs - Essay ExampleLay-offs argon defined as suspension or termination of employment (with or without notice) by the employer or management. (Business Dictionary 2009) Layoffs be managements pick when faced with situations such as financial difficulties, positions are no longer required, business slow-down, or pee interruption. This could be categorized as follows to save the company, to change, and to improve the company. Regardless of the rationale, layoffs cause undue stress, emotional pain, disquiet and suffering for the terminated employees. On the other(a) hand, the managers who are assigned to deliver the blow are as well faced with sorrow or guilt, as the case may be. It is in this regard that layoffs are virtually evaluated in terms of honourable issues which arise due to the critical consequences that arise. Due to these consequences, layoffs become controversial ethical issues. Velasquez & Rostankowski (1982) averred that an act with ethical or virtuous consequences is that such an act involves decisions freely taken that will affirm positive or negative consequences for others. According to Gilbert (2000), in just about circumstances, laying off some employees is the ethical thing to do, and managers who fail to do so are guilty of unethical conduct. In other circumstances, no ethical defense of layoffs can be found, and managers who decide on layoffs in these circumstances are guilty of unethical acts. In a wide range of circumstances in between, there are ethical arguments for and against layoffs. To determine the morality of a decision or an action, one approach is that of utilitarianism which holds that a moral decision or action is one that results in the greatest good for the greatest number of people. (ibid.) exploitation this approach, management justifies that it is common to layoff on the basis that terminating 1000 personnel if this move will save the shaping from bankruptcy and hence preserve the jobs of 5000 others.