Assignment of Ethical Leadership

Topic : -Case Study(Onerous Favorites)

Submitted By: - Submitted To:

Name: Harshit Saxena Garima Sainger Mam
Roll No. :2284100180

Course: M.B.A (DUAL)

 Onerous Favorites

Jocelyn Tan Anne is an established electrical engineer at Onerous, a

computer hardware company. Not a stranger to incidences of favoritism
the company, Anne recently encountered a particularly unfavorable
scenario involving a few of her close co-workers. Two employees, who
had been newly hired, were given visible roles in a prominent project.
Upon the project’s successful completion, the new-hires were given
generous promotions by management. On the other hand, Anne’s co-
workers were asked to play supporting roles in the project, and were
not given any special recognition (i.e., promotions) for their work.
Anne’s non-confrontational co-workers were angry and came to Anne
for advice since they knew she had broad professional experience. They
told her that they were going to leave the company if management did
not stop playing favorites. Although strongly inclined to bring this
matter up to her manager, Anne felt like doing so would be futile
because her manager is stubborn and inflexible.

Que - How should Anne deal with this situation?

Ans - Here are some options for Anne to deal with the situation:

1. Address the Issue with HR:

• While Anne might be hesitant about her manager, HR is a separate entity

responsible for fair treatment in the workplace. Anne can report the favoritism
witnessed in the project, highlighting the unequal distribution of recognition
between the new hires and her co-workers.
• She can gather evidence like emails or witness statements from her colleagues
to support her claims.

2. Advocate for her Colleagues (indirectly):

• If Anne is certain a direct approach to her manager won't work, she can try
advocating for her colleagues indirectly.
• She can schedule a meeting with her manager to discuss the project's overall
success and highlight the contributions her co-workers made.

• By bringing attention to their work, she can nudge the manager to consider them
for future recognition or opportunities.

3. Focus on Herself:

• While advocating for others, Anne shouldn't neglect her own career.
• She can document her achievements on the project and use them as leverage
during her performance review to ensure her contributions are valued.
• Additionally, she can look for opportunities to showcase her skills and
experience within the company or even explore possibilities outside Onerous if
the favoritism culture persists.
4. Help her Colleagues Find their Voice:

• Anne's colleagues seem upset but hesitant to confront management.

• She can help them find their voice by practicing communication strategies or
even accompany them to an HR meeting for moral support.

5. Consider Leaving as a Group:

• If the situation at Onerous is truly untenable, Anne can discuss the possibility of
leaving the company with her disgruntled colleagues.
• A mass exodus, especially of experienced professionals, might send a stronger
message to management about the negative impact of favoritism.

Ultimately, the best course of action depends on Anne's risk tolerance and
desired outcome .