Case Study: Harassment and Discrimination

John Smith works as an assembly line worker for Nessee Products, a large manufacturer of
desserts. The company has a worker health and safety board located in the break room. There are
posters advertising fire alarm exits, where to find the first aid kits, machinery care when
cleaning, how to avoid injury and repetitive strain at work, the steps to take in case of injury at
work, and conferences you can attend. There are also the names of the health and safety
representatives for the company. During the course of his work, John has noticed his new
supervisor discriminating a fellow line worker; mostly in relation to his ethnicity. John gets
along well with his supervisor and is often praised for his great work. He wonders what to do
about this situation. John searches “harassment at work” online that night. He finds issues related
to abuse of authority and feels this relates well to the situation he sees at work. The next day,
John quietly inquires about reporting harassment at work. His friends on other lines encourage
him to keep his mouth shut. Dave says, “Look, it's not happening to you, so just drop it.” Amy is
more sympathetic, saying, “John we're looking out for you too. I heard last month that another
worker was being harassed. He complained and was fired within the week. The administration
documented the reason for being fired as non-related to the complaint. Don't take the chance.”
The next day, John decides to go one step further and talk to Jack, the worker receiving the
abuse. Jack is clearly upset. Jack says, “This isn't your concern. I can handle the supervisor
myself. Besides, everyone knows the real reason the last person was fired. I can't afford to lose
my job.” John considers his situation. The message from his co-workers was loud and clear. He
strongly suspects that making further noises about this issue could jeopardize his job and Jack's.
Further, after looking at the health and safety board again, he realizes there is nothing relating to
this issue. He has never been involved in a dispute with Nessee's management and they've
always seemed like trustworthy people. He is still troubled by this apparent disregard for ethnic
minorities. On the other hand, Jack is the recipient and he's not worried.

1. What ethical dilemma is John facing?

2. Is Nessee Products demonstrating socially responsible behavior? Why or why not?

3. What do you think John should do? Explain your reasoning.