Ethical dilemma #019
The team wants to fire a coworker for a mistake you also made. Would you support dismissal?
A coworker sent an order incorrectly and caused a loss. The team wants them fired, but you made the same mistake a year ago and nobody discovered it.
Related reflectionOwning Our Mistakes Changes How We Judge Others↗What would you do in this situation?
Choose an answer before continuing.
The context
A coworker sends an order to the wrong customer, and the company loses money sending it again. They acknowledge the mistake the next day. During a meeting, several people say they should be fired to prevent it from happening again.
A year ago, you made the same mistake. You managed to correct it before anyone noticed, although there was also an extra expense you never explained. Since then, you check every order twice. You can support dismissal, ask for a second chance, or share your experience so the team considers another response. You want the work done well, but feel uncomfortable demanding a consequence you did not have to face for a similar mistake.
A perspective to continue
Remembering your mistakes does not erase the harm others cause. What response would you demand if the team also had to review your own case?
04
What your decision prioritizes
You prioritize a clear consequence. You might demand a severity you did not apply when the mistake was yours.
You seek to fix the problem without ending their employment. You need to consider how to prevent another loss rather than simply forgive.
You offer information that may change the discussion. You also expose your behavior to the team's questions and consequences.
How other people responded
Percentages will appear after enough responses have been collected.
0 recorded decisions
05
The coworker offers to pay part of the expense and check orders with someone else for a month. They have not made the mistake again so far.
Now that you know this, would you keep your decision?
Keep my decision
The new information does not change what you had decided. Consider whether your original reasons still hold in light of what you have just learned.
Change my decision
What you have just learned leads you to choose a different response. Which detail changed how you see the situation?
I need to know more
The new information leaves you with an important question. What would you need to ask before acting?
0% changed their mind after learning the new context
