Corporate Downsizing: Ethical Issues In The Workplace

• Downsizing is an ethical issue
Downsizing refers to a company's decision to reduce its workforce for reasons other than poor performance, criminal conduct, or unethical behavior on the part of those being let go. Corporate downsizing is mainly due to the firms poor economic conditions and/or the company’s need to cut jobs in order to lower costs or maintain profitability. When we're confronted with a decision that can affect the rights or well-being of others, it’s an ethical issue and downsizing does affect the well being of employees, who’s jobs are at stake for no fault of theirs. No matter how strong the rationale for trimming down the workforce may be, laying off loyal and efficient employees is a traumatic experience for all concerned,

It is prevelant even today. Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. Disabled as also obese people many a times face inequitable hiring practices at work. Some firms choose not to take them considering that their efficiency and productivity would be low. Also they face prejudice from employers. Sometimes they may also be provided lower wages, discriminatory action and wrongful termination.Thus they are dejected and are subdued. Also at times the manner in which people conduct themselves i.e. dressing or physical appearance could be used to discriminate them.
In the movie Horrible Bosses, Kurt’s new boss Bobby Pellit is a cocaine riddled man. He is inconsiderate about his employees. He has no respect whatsoever for anyone not even his dad. He refers to people in an abusive way. In order to reduce costs, he asks Kurt to fire fat people quoting that they are lazy and fat and sad to look at. “Trim the fat” is what he exactly said, which is a harsh way to address this situation. He also wanted to fire a disabled employee prof Xavier, stating that he creeps him out. Thus his discrimination towards them was quite evident. He could hurt people at the cost of saving

The external forces having an impact on ethical behavior include political, legal, economic, and international developments.
Numerous factors contribute to unethical behavior. Reward systems, Avoidance of punishment, role models, political economic, legal , international developments may coerce you to choose an unethical path.
Political impact on ethical behavior: Citing the movie Corporate, In order to acquire the Public Sector Unit both the companies i.e. Sehgals and Marwahs resorted to unethical practices. They went on to bribe the Finance Minister with a huge sum of money each trying to overpass the other. As the finance minister received a better deal from the Marwahs the PSU went to them. Thus politics and power play today have a great impact on the ethics followd.
Legal impact: In the movie corporate when Sehgals were put it the spot light for the pesticide scandal the lawyers told them that someone from the company has to own up. The family did not want anyone whose name was directly involved in the business to own up and thus Bipasha Basu owns up to the scandal. Again this is unethical cause she was against the pesticide episode. But as law demande and to save her company she resorted to unethical