Two married employees not to each other entered into an intimate relationship As fate would have it ...........

Two married employees (not to each other) entered into an intimate relationship. As fate would have it, the husband (let’s call him Matt) of the woman (let’s call her Heather) who was in the forbidden relationship came home around noon to find his wife’s lover (let’s call him Joe) napping in bed while Heather was in the shower! The incident was the breaking point for Matt. He ran downstairs and grabbed a video camera to record the proof. With this evidence, along with pictures, e-mails, and hotel receipts, he filed a complaint with the sheriff’s department. After evaluating the evidence, the sheriff concluded in letters sent to Joe and Heather that “You engaged in an intimate relationship with a member of the agency whom you knew was married.”

Joe received a three-day suspension and Heather received a written reprimand. The moral of this story—enforcement is in the eye of the beholder!

Discussion Questions

1. Is this a management issue or an ethics issue? Both? Neither?

2. Is moral management fact or fantasy?

3. Should one’s religious beliefs influence the situation?

By: Rakesh Kumar Barik