Gomes, a Junior System Administrator with the Management Information Systems Department of Bejay Limited, clocked in 4
Question:
Gomes, a Junior System Administrator with the Management Information Systems Department of Bejay Limited, clocked in 4 minutes and 27 seconds late for work this morning. While he won’t get fired for it, being late this once means that he will not receive the perfect attendance incentive which he needs to make ends meet, given his daughter’s recent series of hospitalizations.
It’s not that Gommes didn’t make an effort to be there on time. He actually arrived in the office five minutes early but was unable to clock in immediately because his direct superior, Amanda, asked him for an informal project progress report as soon as he walked in the door. As a Junior System Administrator, Gommes has access and the capability to edit the company’s attendance records. He figures that since he was unable to punch in only because of his boss, it wouldn’t hurt to edit the timestamp on his attendance for today.
- What are the main ethical issue(s) in this scenario?
- Set out the possible courses of action open to you.
- Assess these alternatives using ethical theories familiar to you.
- What will you do, and why?