Dr Montana is approached by his boss and asked to conduct a

Dr. Montana is approached by his boss and asked to conduct a survey on the employees to determine how to make a great workplace. Dr. Montana constructs a survey and administers it to the employees. Many of the employees only have negative things to say about the boss. Dr. Montana gives his report to his boss and other stakeholders at the company. The boss approaches Dr. Montana and asks for the names of employees who stated negative things about the boss.

a. Should Montana release the names? Why or why not?

b. What are the possible actions that Dr. Montana might consider?

c. What implications, if any, do his actions have for himself and the profession?

Solution

a. No, Montana should not release the names of the employees. Surveys are done on the condition and understanding that the identity of the person taking part in the survey will not be disclosed and will be kept anonymous. If employees were told before hand that their identities will be revealed later to the boss, they would very likely would have given negative comments.

So, ethically Dr. Montana should not release names. He should adhere to the code of ethics.

b. Dr. Montana should stick to the code of ethics and practices. He should convince his boss that employees morale would fall if they get to know that their identities were revealed.

c. Dr. Montana, as a surveyer, has to stick to the code of ethics and practices i.e he should give employees information about the content, sponsorship, and purpose of the survey. Any assurances, such as confidentiality or anonymity, must also be kept by Dr. Montana.

By backtracking on his assurances and revealing the identity of employees, Dr. Montana will be soiling the image of his profession as well his personal image as a professional in this field. This can have negative fallout for his career in the future.