ADMS 2400 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Sick Leave, Major Depressive Disorder, Absenteeism

The Problem: The Case of the SickBuilding

This week you received a memo from one of the members of the HumanResources Department. He suspects the aging building which housesyour division is filled with mildew and other agents which causerespiratory distress. These agents are circulated throughout thebuilding and will cause more and more illnesses to occur. Herecommends that this problem be quickly remedied.

While you sympathize with him, the changes he’s suggesting willhave to come from the money the company was holding in reserve forthe next product launch. The company owns the building and thecurrent market value is $2 million. While you have insurance, youalso have a $250,000 deductible. Thus, to “cure” the alleged “SickBuilding Syndrome” you will have to spend $250,000 and the balanceof the expense will come from insurance. If you do not fix theproblem, it will continue to worsen.

Further, the Human Resources team has forwarded the following memoto you:

To: Human Resources
From: Marcus Keller
RE: Illness

This memo is to inform the members of the Executive Committee thatI will be taking an extended leave of absence due to my acuterespiratory problems. My doctor informs me that the symptoms andseverity of the problems are likely due to "Sick BuildingSyndrome."

Marcus Keller

Currently, three people are sick. While the health care policyyou provide for employees covers the expenses associated with theillness, your insurance premium is tied to the use of the policy.Thus, if people continue getting ill with a long term illness, thecost of insurance will increase.

Please complete each section of this worksheet. Some peoplefind that writing the answers out on another page and then "cuttingand pasting" them into the worksheet lets you think through theproblem better.

If you only have time to do part of this worksheet, click the "savework" button at the bottom of this page. At any later time, you canthen return to this worksheet and continue.

Be Attentive: Set the Context

1. Ethical Actor

The first step is to identify the ethical actor. In a sentenceidentify the ethical actor for this problem.

2. Stakeholders

The next step is to identify the stakeholders. List the otherstakeholders for this problem.

3. Assumptions

In two or three bullet points, identify any assumptions you aremaking about the problem.

Be Intelligent: Identify the Issue and the Values inTension

1. Issue

In one sentence, identify the issue for this problem.

2. Values in Tension

In three or four bullet points, identify the values intension.

Be Reasonable: Explore the Options

1. Influence Factor

In this first step, list the stakeholder groups that will beinfluenced by the decision. For each group, note the number ofstakeholders in the group. Also note the impact that any decisionwill have on each group. The impact is expressed on a scale from 1to 10.

Note that the sum of all impact numbers should add up to 10, andeach impact number must be greater than zero.

PLEASE NOTE: At least 3 stakeholders must always be defined for theethical dilemmas.

To add a stakeholder group, click the "+" button. To delete astakeholder group, click the "×" button next to the row containingthe group you wish to delete. Note that these actions affect alltables on this worksheet.

2. Criteria for Happiness

In this next step, list the criteria for happiness associated withthe stakeholders and the issue at hand.

3. Units of Happiness

After brainstorming with the leadership team, you haveidentified four options:
Spend the money on the repairs to the building.

Set aside required money to handle the increased premiums due tothe illness of employees.

Do nothing and handle those who become ill through the existinghealth care and short term leave policies.

Buy a new building and sell the other building for the value ofthe land.

Choose three out of the four options to analyze. For eachoption, calculate the units of happiness (utils) for eachstakeholder group. Utils are measured on a scale of 1 to 10.

Select Option... Happiness Utils for Option 1 Happiness Utilsfor Option 2 Happiness Utils for Option 3 Happiness Utils forOption 4

4. Greatest Good

Once you have completed your analysis of this ethical dilemma bymeans of the tables above, it is possible to determine the totalweighted units of happiness. In this final step, you can see whichoption truly does produce the greatest good for the greatestnumber.

Be Responsible

1. Choose an Option
Select one option to implement within your Division:

2. Explain Your Decision

Using the guidelines for how to write a memo, write a memo to beshared with the rest of the leadership team which explains yourdecision.

When you have completed all sections of this worksheet,please click the "continue" button below. This action will saveyour answers and advance you to the next worksheet in thisassignment. If you wish to save your current work and then returnto this worksheet at a later time, click the "save work" buttonbelow. Please note that this action will truncate any response thatexceeds the 8,000 character limit.