Eco-Waste Environmental Services (EWES)

Eco-Waste Environmental Services (EWES) from the get go is considered a reputable company that has the community’s best interest at heart. They have a solid reputation for their ethical stance with regard to waste disposal. The company’s slogan embodies what people always want to hear with regard to a company such as EWES. The facts also indicate that the company is a terrific place to work. Jane, for example, has managed to be promoted twice, she has a flexible schedule, she enjoys a four-week paid vacation and her health care issues are well catered. In addition, she has been awarded a salary increase three times in the three years she has been with the company. This shows that the ethical practices the company adheres to are bringing the company profitable returns, enough to treat the employees well.

Jane has now discovered through documents she uncovered by accident, that the company she believed to be spotless is marred with unethical practices that threaten the lives of the public and the environment. Their waste disposal protocols are not as ethical as the public is led to believe the campaigns carried out by the company, yet this was one of her main reasons for taking the job. Everyone she has approached to get an explanation has dismissed her without an ounce of concern for the matter. The people she has approached do not have the ability to effect a significant change in company policy, and may have other personal interests in ignoring the issue.

Fred, Jane’s immediate supervisor, has disagreed to pursue the matter citing that it is not their business to meddle into factors beyond their control. Fred does not want to pursue the matter further because the company is designing a new plan that would compensate employees for high profit margins. Therefore, he does not want to lose his job and a likelihood of earning more money over such a matter. Angela the Vice President of operations would not want to take the matter seriously because the disposal measures enable them to compete with the larger companies in the same industry. Jane, on the other hand, feels compelled to pursue the matter because she believed the company was genuine in their claims for ethical practices and wants to ensure that the company revises their unethical business practice.

Jane is presented with a dilemma she is not sure how to solve. The first dilemma is that she either continues to work there, ignore the facts she has learnt about her employers, and end up betraying her values. The second dilemma is that she could tell the authorities what she knows. This, however, could cause her to break the confidentiality agreement she may have signed before accepting the job. It would be a waste if she did all that and the company ends up with a fine. If she pursues this further, she is likely to lose her job and being a divorced mother, she would have lost her only source of income to take care of her children. The main dilemma in this case is whether to betray her strong values, or decide to pursue the issue and end up losing her job and her ability to take care of her family.

Jane has several options to consider as her next move. The first option would be to determine the legal implications of the waste disposal procedures of the company so that she knows what the law can do to stop what they are doing. The second option could be to approach the CEO directly and ascertain whether CEO has knowledge of what is happening. If the CEO knew what was happening, maybe he could not go before people and affirm his company’s commitment to ethical waste disposal. It might be that the CEO is given wrong information as to the waste disposal operations of the company. Another option would to be giving up her job and approach the authorities with what she knows for prosecution. Her other option would to be resigning and keeping what she knows to her self, and find another job that is well suited to her ethics and values.

The options available to her may have consequences. These consequences could be positive or negative. Ascertaining the legal implications of what the company’s waste disposal procedures could help a better decision. If she wants to keep her job, it would be crucial to understand if the amount being disposed of is enough to be seen as illegal. If illegal, she could approach the authorities. However, the company may brand her a whistle blower and terminate her contract. Approaching the CEO could be a positive thing if the CEO did not have any part in what the company is doing. The CEO in this case will influence the company’s course of action and make sure that the company is properly disposing of the waste. If the CEO is in on it, the executive may take steps to terminate her employment. The last option is to leave her job quietly and find another job. This may be the wrong course of action, especially considering that she is a single mother and finding a job that pays her enough and as well as EWES may be difficult. It may also be difficult to find a company that offers flexible hours to suit her maternal needs.

I am inclined to recommend that Jane approach the authorities for action. Since she is unable to determine what trace levels of toxins are, the authorities would be better placed to investigate and determine the lethal capabilities of the disposed waste materials. Approaching the authorities instead of confronting her superiors will allow her to keep her job and at the same time, the company will be forced to operate within the required parameters. Since the company already has its employees receiving decent pay, the extra compensation if profits go up could be forgone so that the company can use the money to develop better waste disposal procedures. Faced with an ethical issue as the one Jane was presented with, the most important thing is to ensure is that public safety takes precedence.