Margaret works in the Marketing Department for a large American multi family housing company. Recently she was told the company would be hiring to fill the Regional Marketin Director (RMD) position in the Central Region. The position has been vacant for a long time and Margaret has been performing the duties for both her job and the job of the RMD. However, the work has begun to be too demanding and you have been working overtime to complete both jobs. Therefore, filling the RMD position is going to help lessen your workload. Margaret’s supervisor, Paul Smith has made the final decision about who should be hired for the RMD position. The company has a process for new hires to complete that include paperwork that personnel in the Human Resources department help the new employee to complete. Part of the process for the new employee is the completion of a drug test. The company has a strict drug free workplace policy. Every new employee must pass a drug test prior to receiving a written agreement of employment from the company. The candidate that Paul wants to hire is working with the Human Resources department completing paperwork to take to the lab for the drug test.
A coworker of yours in Human Resources, in a conversation the two of you were having, tells you that the candidate listed on her paperwork medications she is currently taking as folic acid and prenatal vitamins. She also reveals she could be pregnant. Although you know it is not required for an employee to tell a potential employer that you are or might be pregnant, still you feel betrayed. You are worried that you will spend the next six months training the new employee and after such time, she will go on maternity leave or worse, quit. Once again you will be doing two jobs. Margaret is also concerned that the candidate might be taking the job just to receive insurance benefits until after the baby arrives.
What do you do? Justify every Option
• Since the offer letter is still pending, tell Paul you accidentally heard the candidate might be pregnant and hopefully he will pick another candidate.
• Ask your coworker in Human Resources to “accidentally” mention the new employee may be pregnant.
• Ask your coworker to advise the new employee to tell the supervisor she is pregnant.
• Say nothing. Knowing that your coworker in Human Resources honestly let confidential information slip and saying anything could jeopardize her job.
* Option 1 seems a viable option, but Paul would ask the source of information, or where i heard it from accidentally. Also this might seem someone has informed me about the candidate being pregnant, or i might be doing it so that this candidate doesn't join in particular because of my personal choice. I would drop this option so that workplace ethics and confidentiality is not questioned.
* I might ask my coworker to accidentally mention the new employee is pregnant, but questions would be raised on her for the source of information. But i feel this is a good option because as a part of the HR team the coworker is responsible to do background checks on new employees. So as a part of her responsibility, the co worker can tell about the medication the new employee was on. Or rather, I would suggest the co-worker go to Paul and inform him about these findings, rather than pretending to accidentally do it for the benefit of the company.
* This option seems fairly inappropriate in the way it is projected, asking a coworker to advise the new employee, would be a bad idea, as why would an employee tell the employer about this and put his job or selection in danger. But, on the other side of it, it can work out too, as being a part of the HR team it is the responsibility of the co-worker to discuss the areas of concerns with candidates and find a solution to it.
*Saying nothing would not solve the problem, and would not give Paul all the knowledge about the candidate based on which the decision should be taken. So the information in any way that is ethically right should reach Paul, so that a calculated decision for the benefit of the company is taken.
Margaret works in the Marketing Department for a large American multi family housing company. Recently she...
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