Ethical Dilemma
Imagine that you are a manager at a consumer products company.
Your company is in negotiations for a merger. If and when the two
companies merge, it seems probable that some jobs will be lost, but
you have no idea how many or who will be gone. You have five
subordinates. One is in the process of buying a house while
undertaking a large debt. The second just received a relatively
lucrative job offer and asked for your opinion as his mentor. You
feel that knowing about the possibility of this merger is important
to them in making these life choices. At the same time, you fear
that once you let them know, everyone in the company will find out
and the negotiations are not complete yet. You may end up losing
some of your best employees, and the merger may not even happen.
What do you do? Do you have an ethical obligation to share this
piece of news with your employees? How would you handle a situation
such as this?