While our company was cutting back hours for hourly employees, a manager in one of our departments cut a few employees hours but did not cut the hours of the employees that she is friends with outside of work. Is this Illegal?

Comments

Comments

Comments

• Exactly!

  • Report
  

  by mrtoolman on February 18th, 2009

Comments

• Why would this be morally wrong? Are you suggesting that you always treat friends just like all others?

  • Report
  

  by Anonymous on February 18th, 2009

• sorry for the later answer...
  
  Ethically wrong actually sounds more appropriate than Morally wrong, but same difference.
  
  In a professional environment or a position of responsibility, you are supposed to exercise sound judgement and common sense while protecting the companies best interests. This means the manager should've kept the people that were possibly the most productive, skilled, or reliable at doing their jobs, based on the particular needs of the business. Keeping only your friends instead of only keeping the employees that work hard is not in the best interest of the company.
  
  In a possition of REAL responsibility, administrators and/or management CANNOT be friends with subordinates. Many people do not realize this.

  • Report
  

  by mrtoolman on February 26th, 2009

• I agree with most of what you say, but these concepts are not mutually exclusive. Moreover, you seem to presume that the friend is less productive than the others. For example, if the friend is as productive as the non-friends, then would it be "ethically wrong" to not cut the friend's hours? And is it not true that friends are usually more valuable than non-friends in a pinch? Thus, all else being equal, the friend is a more valuable employee as a result of the friendship. And lastly, isn't it true that the business decision should be based on productivity cost, not actual productivity?

  • Report
  

  by Anonymous on February 26th, 2009

Comments