Written Assignment - Sunset Prayers 2 Read Ethical Dilemma - Sunset Prayers 2 on page 412-413 Read all three options at the end of the case and which you believe is the most desirable and least desirable options and why. Any other suggestions? Your paper should be a minimum of 450 words. Small headings and margins. Average size font. ETHICAL DILEMMA all, of the new hires available to work the assembly line would be Muslim Somali refugees, people who had immigrated to Minnesota from their war-torn Sunset Prayers186 Frank Piechowski, plant manager for a Minnesota North Woods Appliance Corporation refrigerator native country en masse over the plant, just received his instructions from the vice president for manufacturing. He was to hire 40 more temporary workers through Twin Cities Staffing, the industry. Appliance companies were competing local labor agency that North Woods used. Frank mainly on price. The entrance of large chains such as already knew from past experience that most, if not 15 years. North Woods, like all appliance manufacturers, was trying to survive in a highly competitive, mature past Best Buy and Home Depot only intensified the price Chapter 9 Managing Human Resources and Diversity wars, not to mention that consumers could easily do comparison shopping before leaving home by logging flow. Compared to their midday and afternoon ritu- on to the Internet. The pressure to keep production als, the Muslim faithful had considerably less leeway costs low was considerable. That's where the Somali workers came in. In an effort to keep labor costs low, North Woods was rely- far, thcy'd all coped. ing more and more on temporary workers rather than increasing the ranks of permanent employees. Frank was quite pleased with the Somalis already at work on the assembly line. Although few in number, they were responsible, hardworking, and willing to work for the wages that he could afford to pay. It was the first time this son of Polish immigrants accommodations to his employees' religious practices had ever come into contact with Muslims, but so far, it had gone well. Frank had established a good on the employer. Had he reached the point where the working relationship with the Somalis' spokesper- accommodations that Halima Adan would probably son, Halima Adan, who explained that unlike most Western faiths, Islamic religious practices were inex- able? But if he changed his policy, did he risk alienat- tricably woven into everyday life. As a result of the ing his workforce? good rapport they had, together they had worked out ways to accommodate Muslim customs. Frank autho- rized changes in the plant's cafeteria menu so that the Somali workers had more options that conformed to their dietary restrictions, and he allowed women to wear traditional clothing, so long as they weren't vio- lating safety standards. After learning that the Somalis would need to perform at least some of the ceremonial washing and prayers they were required to do five times a day dur- ing work hours, the plant manager set aside a quiet, 3. Ask the Muslim workers to delay their sunset clean room where they could observe their 15-min- ute rituals during their breaks and at sunset. The had to perform were disruptive to a smooth work- as to when they said the sunset prayers, and of course, the sun set at a slightly different time each day. But so But what was he going to do about the sunset prayers with an influx of 40 Somali workers that would dramatically increase the number of people who would need to leave the line to pray? Was it time to modify his policy? He knew that Title VII of the Civil Right Act required that he make "reasonable" unless doing so would impose an "undue hardship" request crossed the line from reasonable to unreason- What Would You Do? 1. Continue the current policy that leaves it up to the Muslim workers as to when they leave the assembly line to perform their sunset rituals. 2. Try to hire the fewest possible Muslim workers so the work line will be efficient on second shift. prayers until a regularly scheduled break occurs, pointing out that North Woods is primarily a place of business, not a house of worship. Maghrib sunset prayers that second-shift workers