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"If your manager asks you for the list of 10 people to be fired, what do you do?"
I think I'll be accountable and ask for a one-on-one conversation with my manager. If these people are fired, it might be my fault because I handed him the list. So, I'll ask him with kind candor if there is a specific reason behind their firing. Using this emotional ingredient can open to a productive conversation with him. The manager doesn't know why these employees act the way they do; I would advise him to do the following steps:
he should empathize and set a meeting to clear the air. Using the ethical right approach gives employees the right to defend themselves.
If there is no valuable reason of the employees ' actions, I would advise the manager to consider firing them because it could lead to a slowdown of the company's growth or affect other employee's. This way I'll use the ethical utilitarian approach. In doing so, I'll be fully accountable of giving him the list of the people.
I think I'll be accountable and ask for a one-on-one conversation with my manager. If these people are fired, it might be my fault because I handed him the list. So, I'll ask him with kind candor if there is a specific reason behind their firing. Using this emotional ingredient can open to a productive conversation with him. The manager doesn't know why these employees act the way they do; I would advise him to do the following steps:
he should empathize and set a meeting to clear the air. Using the ethical right approach gives employees the right to defend themselves.
If there is no valuable reason of the employees ' actions, I would advise the manager to consider firing them because it could lead to a slowdown of the company's growth or affect other employee's. This way I'll use the ethical utilitarian approach. In doing so, I'll be fully accountable of giving him the list of the people.
I agree with this approach, and I wanted to add an additional approach I would follow in making the list of 10 people. Indeed, even though, after discussing the reasons why 10 people should get fired, the manager still wants me to do this list, I would create this list by choosing which employees are less useful for the company using the justice approach. I would determine, according to the reasons the manager gave me, which person should leave, balancing what they have done for the company so far, what potential they have in the future, how important they are in the organization or also how efficient they are in doing their job. I would finally end up with names who are less beneficial for the company and judge them equally according to the value they can bring
Firstly, I will ask for an explanation. I can't fired that much people for no reason and give them no cause of their firing. If it's for a financial issues and the company is falling because of too much employees that need to be paid, I will try to find a solution to fired the less person I can. For the ones fired, I will try to find them another job in another company. I will try to make a selection to keep the employees that need more than others a job because of their personal situation (kids, divorced, alone parent...). Then I will look at their experience and for how long they have been in our company. And finally I will check the statistics of their efficiency, if their work is well-done, useful...
I think that ethics is something very subjective because there are many people that will agree or disagree with the ethical choices that we make make on a day to day basis. The problem is that no matter where we are coming from (justice approach, utilitarian approach, common good approach...), there will always be people that counter our arguments with their own, and in todays society we cannot tell them whether they are right or not. We simply have to work around them, or directly agree that we made the bad choice. Truth is that if we fire the employee who stole, many will share our decision and would agree to do the same in this situation. However, there will also (most likely), be people who look at us with disappointment, maybe people who relate to the person getting fired, and those people will be able to tell us that we made the wrong decision. They will say what is evident- that the firm didn't need the stolen good and could have continued its endeavors without it, while the person who stole it will be way better off and his life would improve significantly, while not affecting the good of the firm and other employees. All in all, ethics is a very complex subject and often can be viewed from many different perspectives.
If my manager asks me for the list of 10 people to be fired I would start by asking for the context to learn more about the situation. That way I could determine if it could have major consequences on the people involved or not. By getting the facts, I could decide if I should either give the list to the manager, or have compassion for the employees who will be fired and just ignore the situation.
However, since my manager asks, I will give him the list, as he is my superior and I don't want to be fired instead.
Moreover, everyone needs to be treated equally. So if someone else had to give the list, maybe he would have made a different decision, which would have lead to other consequences. For instance, people who should be fired won't be because everyone makes decisions differently. By following the rules and a manager, everyone gets the same treatment.
So although this may seem selfish and have terrible consequences on the employees soon-to-be fired, it is still the best option: the rules and orders set by the manager will be respected.
However, since my manager asks, I will give him the list, as he is my superior and I don't want to be fired instead.
Moreover, everyone needs to be treated equally. So if someone else had to give the list, maybe he would have made a different decision, which would have lead to other consequences. For instance, people who should be fired won't be because everyone makes decisions differently. By following the rules and a manager, everyone gets the same treatment.
So although this may seem selfish and have terrible consequences on the employees soon-to-be fired, it is still the best option: the rules and orders set by the manager will be respected.
If my manger asks me for the list of 10 people to be fired, I would probably take a decision based on different criteria such as the productivity and performance of every worker: who are those who contribute the less to the company profits? Here I would make a list according to the Common good Lens because this decision would benefit the shareholders, the employees that work very hard, the good for the company. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to fire those who give their all, here we would also take the decision with the Justice Lens. Moreover, for the decision-taking, I must take in consideration the well-being of the company which includes the relationship between employees, so I would add to the list the persons who are most likely to be rude, arrogant and disrespect their colleagues. However, the ethical issue that those decisions can led is that we are not accountable for the external factors and the personal lives of the workers. For instance, if I add in the list someone that is not efficient enough for the enterprise, but the reason why is health issues, would it be immoral and unfair? Yet, for me, I think that when you are a manager you must take for priority the future and well-being of the company instead of the “case-by-case” issues that are the repercussions of a decision.
I agree with your opinion that the well-being and the future of the company need to be placed priority and we cannot cover every cases and details of personal lives of employees. As a matter of fact, we should base on the result and sufficiency of their work to evaluate and make a decision. Moreover, what if this is also a test for me from the manager, if I don't fire a person with insufficient work result but has a personal reason that I compassionate, this might be a mean for the manager to evaluate me as "not decisive enough" and this may be an obstacle for me to have a promotion at work. In conclusion, I want to avoid the most the Care ethics lens, I don't want to know too much about their circumstances. I would take my decision based on their work result.
Participate in the forum and answer: "If your manager asks you for the list of 10 people to be fired, what do you do?"
To evaluate the situation, I need to have a clear image of the company goals, values, terms and conditions, and how employee evaluation is done. Based on those facts, I would then ask my manager about the reason: Why do we 'need' to fire 10 people? (Is it a financial, management, legal, or performance reason?)
When I have the facts, I would find a way to make arrangements and avoid firing them. If it is a financial reason and costs need to be optimized, maybe I would consider other ways of optimizing costs and 'saving' the employees. If it is a management or performance issue, maybe reassigning tasks for these employees could improve the outcome, or schedule a more frequent HR performance evaluation. If it is a legal reason, such as malpractice by these 10 employees, I would consider whether it is something that can be corrected or is illegal (for example: an employee broke the rules of the contract and it resulted in the other 9 following his lead with something 'light' such as not following the dress code. On the contrary, if an employee stole money from the company and shared it with the other 9 people, it is a serious matter and shouldn't be ignored)
Based on that, I would implement a combination of utilitarian, justice, and common good ethic lenses. If the matter can be corrected, I would seek to do that. If not, as in a serious matter, how would the company look if an employee who did an illegal thing is still allowed to work there? It would give off a bad message: 'Anyone could disregard the company's terms and conditions and the state's law and get away with it', and that is something that could influence other employees to behave badly. And if the financial or management reason is too critical (for instance, a bankruptcy, or continued losses in revenue) I would find a way to find new jobs for them in the industry by recommending them or finding improvement opportunities (scholarships for further studies, recommendation letters, networking, etc)
To evaluate the situation, I need to have a clear image of the company goals, values, terms and conditions, and how employee evaluation is done. Based on those facts, I would then ask my manager about the reason: Why do we 'need' to fire 10 people? (Is it a financial, management, legal, or performance reason?)
When I have the facts, I would find a way to make arrangements and avoid firing them. If it is a financial reason and costs need to be optimized, maybe I would consider other ways of optimizing costs and 'saving' the employees. If it is a management or performance issue, maybe reassigning tasks for these employees could improve the outcome, or schedule a more frequent HR performance evaluation. If it is a legal reason, such as malpractice by these 10 employees, I would consider whether it is something that can be corrected or is illegal (for example: an employee broke the rules of the contract and it resulted in the other 9 following his lead with something 'light' such as not following the dress code. On the contrary, if an employee stole money from the company and shared it with the other 9 people, it is a serious matter and shouldn't be ignored)
Based on that, I would implement a combination of utilitarian, justice, and common good ethic lenses. If the matter can be corrected, I would seek to do that. If not, as in a serious matter, how would the company look if an employee who did an illegal thing is still allowed to work there? It would give off a bad message: 'Anyone could disregard the company's terms and conditions and the state's law and get away with it', and that is something that could influence other employees to behave badly. And if the financial or management reason is too critical (for instance, a bankruptcy, or continued losses in revenue) I would find a way to find new jobs for them in the industry by recommending them or finding improvement opportunities (scholarships for further studies, recommendation letters, networking, etc)
Multiple variables come into play when trying to answer the question, "If your manager asks you for the list of 10 people to be fired, what do you do?"
To simply answer the question I would give the manager a list of 10 people that I would like fired although 2 variables greatly impact my decision-making process. The first variable would be who these 10 people are, do they hold any relevance within the company or are they easily replaceable for another employee who may provide better results? The second variable would be how this decision will impact me as a person. As a person who works within the company, there is no doubt that I want to climb the corporate ladder in any way possible. Having the manager ask me to list 10 people that I would like fired shows that the manager has a high level of trust in me. With this in mind, I would use this opportunity to identify people within the company who may be of hindrance to me in climbing the further within the corporate ladder and having them fired.
To simply answer the question I would give the manager a list of 10 people that I would like fired although 2 variables greatly impact my decision-making process. The first variable would be who these 10 people are, do they hold any relevance within the company or are they easily replaceable for another employee who may provide better results? The second variable would be how this decision will impact me as a person. As a person who works within the company, there is no doubt that I want to climb the corporate ladder in any way possible. Having the manager ask me to list 10 people that I would like fired shows that the manager has a high level of trust in me. With this in mind, I would use this opportunity to identify people within the company who may be of hindrance to me in climbing the further within the corporate ladder and having them fired.
I somewhat agree with this proposition especially if the 10 people listed are replaceable and do not contribute enough to the company. But I feel conflicted when he talks about climbing the corporate ladder by firing candidates that could be better than him, this could hinder his relationship with his manager who would stop trusting him as he is firing good employees. Nevertheless his arguments are impressive and reflect on some aspects of human nature and morality that should be explored more in management and the corporate world.
In the case of my manager would ask me a list of 10 people I would have to fired I would ask for more context. Indeed I feel like firing people because of their incompetence or because of a budget restriction makes a big difference. Ethically, it's a different thing to fired people almost out of randomness than because of a real reason. However, since it's an order from my superior I have no other choice than do it either way, so in order of being the most professional I would probably look at the results of every employee as well as their productivity and every work-related detail. That way, I can make sure that my decision will be the most ethical as possible since my decision will be based on professional criteria and not personal.However I would still feel really guilty, but without choice since I can't risk my own job, I will do it but advice my manager to talk to them for a better understanding of the situation.
If my manager requested a list of 10 people to get fired, I would first ask myself if it was in my interest to provide the manager with this list. Perhaps it would let me create a stronger relationship with my higher-ups, but it would also create a rift between me and my colleagues, making them lose trust in me. It's not even certain that my manager would consider my propositions, so why should I risk giving him this list for the cost of my relationship with my colleagues, considering that I work with them daily? Even if he does consider them, would I then be held responsible for getting them fired? What would my work community then think about me?
But I also do believe that to maintain your job, you need to demonstrate your qualifications and capabilities. You have to earn it. I do find it unfair when I see some of my colleagues slacking off all day while I work overtime. We should reflect on the fact that we do owe our employment to the company's success, meaning that we should take into account the greater good of the company and not let it fail by making bad decisions by employees.
Unless if the manager has to necessarily fire 10 employees due to the company's budget, I would not consider giving him a list of 10 people to unemploy. The consequences that I may face outweigh the advantages:
But I also do believe that to maintain your job, you need to demonstrate your qualifications and capabilities. You have to earn it. I do find it unfair when I see some of my colleagues slacking off all day while I work overtime. We should reflect on the fact that we do owe our employment to the company's success, meaning that we should take into account the greater good of the company and not let it fail by making bad decisions by employees.
Unless if the manager has to necessarily fire 10 employees due to the company's budget, I would not consider giving him a list of 10 people to unemploy. The consequences that I may face outweigh the advantages:
Potential Cons:
- Loss of trust with colleagues (relationships)
- I don't want to be accountable for their unemployment (virtue/moral issue)
- Can more or less negatively affect the work community (work environment)
Potential Pros:
- A better relationship with the manager (potentially move positions, better pay...)
- Growth of the company (conservation of my job) (long-term approach, not directly affected...)
( BUT if it was a competitive environment where employees are in constant competition with one another, I would gladly give a detailed list of who to fire 😈)
On the other hand, I would be open to giving them feedback on employee performance ONLY if it is done anomalously. It can help improve the company's growth and my personal relationship with the manager without creating issues with my work environment.
If your manager asks you for the list of 10 people to be fired, what do you do?"
If my manger asks me to list 10 people who have to be fired, I will first ask him why he want to fire those people, it is because we are making less profits, is it a demand from the CEO, is it because production is too slow, or is it because we have not enough space? In each way, it is a difficult task, because supressing employees means changing the organization, which can bring good or bad in the company, that is why: with the consideration of his respond, I will target people, by analysing their profile, their competence, they participation in the company, their effectiveness, even their age can be important… Every argument to keep them or not. I will analyse everything to make sure to keep employees who may be useful for the future. This means predicting future needs of the company, future customers, society, market needs.
If my manger asks me to list 10 people who have to be fired, I will first ask him why he want to fire those people, it is because we are making less profits, is it a demand from the CEO, is it because production is too slow, or is it because we have not enough space? In each way, it is a difficult task, because supressing employees means changing the organization, which can bring good or bad in the company, that is why: with the consideration of his respond, I will target people, by analysing their profile, their competence, they participation in the company, their effectiveness, even their age can be important… Every argument to keep them or not. I will analyse everything to make sure to keep employees who may be useful for the future. This means predicting future needs of the company, future customers, society, market needs.
I agree with your statement. It is very important to double check the reason why they should be fired. Ten people at once are indeed a large amount of people who would have to quit. Knowing their competencies due to teamwork I could value their great capacities in order to provide a good future regarding the company and discuss once more with my manager whether or not they have to be fired. However , if these ten people had built an alliance trying to destroy the company it primarily would be a necessity to have a chat with the manager and talking about firing 10 employees in order to prevent the company from any danger, because the main goal is to be a successful company.
Asking to fire 10 people is a tough decision to make. If my manager asked me for the list of 10 people to be fired, first of all I would like to know for the reason, so that I can make the best call, I think in any case, if it's because of a budget cut or if it's because of incompetence, I would sought for the less important or the most incompetent employees. I would determine these people with the according to what my manager told me, in what branch there is the most inactivity or the most people. It's wouldn't be something that I would like to do and it wouldn't be easy, but I thing that you must be focus on your objectives and do what must be done.
First, I will try to understand why the manager wants to fired 10 employees by discussing with him. Then i will deployed some emotions such as empathy, optimisim and conviction(because i have to take into account what i feel and my beliefs). Maybe there are specifics issues to fired them but maybe there are also solutions with little bit of optimism and empathy . But above all, i will ask myself "Is it an ethical decision to fired this 10 persons ?" , if the respond is "yes" then i will fired these employees... But on the contrary if the respond is "no" i will try to argue with my manager to convince him. If he doesn't want to chance his decison then i will quit the job, i just don't want to do something wrong for me, and that i consider unethical.
"If your manager asks you for the list of 10 people to be fired, what do you do?"
My manager has every right to do so, he is on top of us in the company's hierarchy. To understand why he wants to fire 10 people i will first try to ask him why. If he gives me a good reason, i'll identify the 10 people that are the less productive in the company's growing process and report him this. On the ethical point of vue, i will try to reason him and give him good reasons to not fire those people before reporting him the list but I also have to be prudent to not be fired too.
My manager has every right to do so, he is on top of us in the company's hierarchy. To understand why he wants to fire 10 people i will first try to ask him why. If he gives me a good reason, i'll identify the 10 people that are the less productive in the company's growing process and report him this. On the ethical point of vue, i will try to reason him and give him good reasons to not fire those people before reporting him the list but I also have to be prudent to not be fired too.
First this decision could harm a lot of people, and as a manager i would also have some difficulties to choose 10 person that I would have to fire for not obvious reasons. I would ask to talk to my superior to know more about why he/she wants to do that and does it really aim to something. Then if i'm obliged to do the lis I would try to find real reasons to fire people and not do it lightly. When my choices are made I would have a face to face conversation with each employee to explain to them maybe the reason they were on the group that got fired, but I would also explain that there is no fundamental reason and this is a choice that had to be made and I would be happy to work with them again in the futur if that is possible
No matter what you do 10 people have to be fired. Therefore, it will be better if you choose people that are not doing their job well enough (The Justice Lens). If all the employees are strictly following the guidelines, then you do a research study about who makes the most mistakes and doesn’t generate much profit for the company. As a subordinate to the manager, we do not have that much information to make a rightful decision, that’s why research needs to be done.
If we decide not to present our boss with the list because we do not want anyone to be fired, he can tell us that we are not following his instructions. Therefore, we might be punished ourselves or worse get fired. Nonetheless, in this scenario you might be the only person that is fired and save other people’s jobs. (The Utilitarian Lens – only one person fired)
If we choose to present him with the list and the people that are going to be fired are in financial crisis, are we taking the right decision?
That’s why I would propose a list of names to the boss, and I’ll ask him to put those people on secret probation for the next month. If they are still underperforming and thus not contributing to the company’s success plans, then he may fire them definitively. This decision is correct regarding the Rights Lens, The Common Good Lens and The Virtue Lens. I would feel good telling other people about what I have decided to do. Nonetheless, I should be mentally ready, if the boss rejects my idea, to follow the second-best action which is to directly fire the underperforming staff.
If we decide not to present our boss with the list because we do not want anyone to be fired, he can tell us that we are not following his instructions. Therefore, we might be punished ourselves or worse get fired. Nonetheless, in this scenario you might be the only person that is fired and save other people’s jobs. (The Utilitarian Lens – only one person fired)
If we choose to present him with the list and the people that are going to be fired are in financial crisis, are we taking the right decision?
That’s why I would propose a list of names to the boss, and I’ll ask him to put those people on secret probation for the next month. If they are still underperforming and thus not contributing to the company’s success plans, then he may fire them definitively. This decision is correct regarding the Rights Lens, The Common Good Lens and The Virtue Lens. I would feel good telling other people about what I have decided to do. Nonetheless, I should be mentally ready, if the boss rejects my idea, to follow the second-best action which is to directly fire the underperforming staff.