- 10 Marks
Question
Salisu Medical Centre runs 24-hour services every day. To ensure smooth cash collection from walk-in clients, the company also operates a 24-hour cash office. The cashiers work on a shift basis to cover the morning, afternoon, evening, and night services. There are five (5) cashiers employed by the firm, who are all supposed to work at least once in each of the shift periods before the year ends. Jennifer, one of the cashiers, has never worked on night duties since she was employed. The Finance Director of the company prepares the duty roster (time-schedule) for the cashiers’ shifts together with the Chief Cashier.
Jennifer’s special treatment has been continuously justified by the Finance Director due to her place of abode being far from the workplace. However, there are other cashiers who come on night-shift staying in her vicinity.
Jennifer is also known in the company for her frequent “excuse” duty from Doctors at the medical centre, allowing her to stay away from work, as well as her spontaneous use of annual leave days, sometimes obtaining additional casual leave. This behavior of Jennifer continuously affects workflow at the Cash Office, leading to another cashier being called to stand in for her, resulting in overtime payments for that cashier.
The conduct of Jennifer and the manner in which the Finance Director handles her case has caused concern among the other cashiers.
Required:
i) Describe the ethical issues involved and their implications on work output at Salisu Medical Centre.
(4 marks)
ii) Recommend possible measures that could be instituted to prevent such ethical challenges in the future.
(6 marks)
(Total: 10 marks)
Answer
i) Ethical issues involved:
- Integrity: The Finance Director’s behavior concerning Jennifer lacks honesty. There is no transparency in how the cashiers’ shifts are allocated, as Jennifer is excluded from night shifts, despite other cashiers living in the same area being assigned night shifts.
- Objectivity: The Finance Director is biased in his treatment of Jennifer. The special treatment given to her regarding her work shifts and frequent days off without action undermines the fairness and objectivity expected in the workplace.
- Professional Behavior: The Finance Director’s actions bring into question the overall management of the cash office. His favoritism towards Jennifer causes resentment among other staff members and leads to increased costs for the company through overtime payments.
- Professional Competence: The Finance Director has failed to demonstrate the necessary professional competence by allowing Jennifer’s irregular leave usage to increase staff costs unnecessarily. Overtime payments are becoming a fixed cost due to his lack of proper management.
(Any 3 points @ 1.33 marks each = 4 marks)
ii) Recommended actions:
- Accommodation and Shift Allocation: Jennifer should be encouraged to find accommodation closer to work or be prepared to work all shifts regardless of the time. This would ensure fairness in shift allocation.
- Annual Duty Roster: The Finance Director should work with the Human Resource department to prepare an annual duty roster, ensuring all cashiers know their shifts and leave days ahead of time. This would improve planning and prevent last-minute disruptions.
- Casual Leave Policy: The Human Resource department should implement a clear policy on casual leave for employees who have exhausted their allocated leave days. This would control leave abuse and improve workflow.
- Excuse Duty from Doctors: A stricter policy should be set in collaboration with the Managing Director and medical professionals to limit the overuse of “excuse” duty for workers. This will prevent the misuse of the system.
- Teamwork and Training: The Finance Director should hold a meeting with all cashiers to promote teamwork and ensure everyone understands the importance of fairness in shifts. This would foster a positive work environment.
(Any 4 actions @ 1.5 marks each = 6 marks)
- Tags: Ethical Issues, IFAC Code, Integrity, Objectivity, Professional Behavior, Professional Conduct
- Level: Level 3
- Topic: Regulatory Framework and Ethics
- Series: DEC 2022
- Uploader: Dotse