Human Resource Management

MBA Section C
Spring 22-23

Submission Date: 27th March, 2023

Case Final 1:

Caught in the Act: Immoral Behavior at Work

It was about 1:30 in the morning when Mike Morrison, night supervisor at HITEC Corporation, a West
Coast manufacturer of computer software, finally returned to his office to finish up a report. As he
began writing, he heard a strange noise coming from the quality control lab down the hall. He knew that
no one was assigned to work in the lab at that time, so he walked down to investigate. After knocking,
he opened the door and was stunned to see two of his lead employees. Jim Harris, a lead maintenance
supervisor, had his back turned to the door and was pulling up his pants. Mary Bridge, a lead production
line supervisor, was next to an inspection bench and was likewise pulling up her pants. Morrison quickly
shut the door and returned to his office, aghast at what he had just witnessed. Given the embarrassing
nature of the situation, he decided to take no action.

Two weeks later, Teya Simpson, the human resource director, was talking to another lead supervisor
when she heard about the incident. Apparently, everyone in the plant knew the story, except top
management, because both Harris and Bridge had spread the word that they were ‘‘caught in the act’’
by Morrison.

Simpson immediately called Wayne Purdy, plant manager, to see what action, if any, should be taken.
Both recognized that the firm had no work rule that specifically covered sexual relationships on the job
and that the offense had occurred two weeks ago. On the other hand, both believed that the
employees’ behavior was highly unprofessional and noted that both managers had left their work areas
unattended. Furthermore, they were concerned about the effect that this incident might have on future
employee behavior if no disciplinary action was forthcoming.

Questions

1. What action should HITEC Corporation take, if any, with regard to Jim Arnold and Mary Bridge? Justify
your answer.

2. What action should the firm take, if any, with respect to Mike Morrison? Why?