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Unit V Discussion Board
Discussion Topic
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In this unit, consideration is given to the employee and/or moral rights in the workplace.
Consider the place in which you are have been employed (Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist) in the past and explain your moral rights in the workplace. How would you differentiate your moral, legal, and contractual rights? Do you believe such moral rights are upheld? Why, or why not? Offer specific examples to illustrate your position. Be sure to provide clear definitions of each type of right.
Reply 1 Brian Tagg
Good Day, Folks,
Workplace conflicts aren’t always black and white, especially when morals, the law, and the job pull you in different directions. I’ve been thinking about one particular experience that unexpectedly challenged me. It was about EPA refrigerant regulations, but more than that, it was about my values and the price of sticking to them.
Here’s what happened. I was asked to refill a refrigeration system leaking CFC refrigerant—a blatant violation of EPA rules. These aren’t just technicalities; these regulations exist to protect the ozone layer and slow climate change (Molina & Rowland, 1974). At first glance, the choice seemed obvious: follow the law and do the right thing. But it’s not so simple when you’re in the moment, with a boss giving you orders and your job on the line.
For me, this wasn’t just about a leaky system. It was about deciding who I wanted to be. I’ve always believed in protecting the environment—a fundamental value that aligns with what (Smith, 2018) calls a shared human responsibility. But there were other forces at play. Legally, the EPA prohibited this kind of action. And then there was my job—my paycheck, my livelihood—telling me to go ahead and break the rules. What do you do when your conscience and your career are at odds?
At that moment, I chose to stand by my principles. I refused to do it. I even asked for written instructions, thinking it might protect me. Instead, I got fired. It was crushing. I want to say it was an easy decision, but it wasn’t. Losing my job hurt, but compromising my values would’ve been worse.
Looking back, I see how complex these situations can be. Moral and legal obligations often overlap, but they don’t always fit neatly with the realities of work. I keep returning to something (Six and Kotler, 2008) said in
Dead Heat: confronting environmental challenges demands personal sacrifice. They were right. I felt the weight of that sacrifice in a very personal way.
This experience also opened my eyes to the gaps in workplace culture. Sure, the EPA had rules to protect people like me, but my company had no real support for ethical decision-making (Environmental Protection Agency, 2020). I felt isolated as if I was being punished for doing the right thing. That shouldn’t happen to anyone.
When I think about that time, I feel a sense of pride. It reaffirmed what matters to me—integrity, ethics, and doing what’s right even when it’s hard. But it also left me with a more profound commitment to change. Workplaces need better systems to help people make ethical decisions without feeling alone or penalized. As (Smith, 2018) pointed out, creating sustainable systems takes both individual action and collective effort.
This whole experience didn’t just test me—it shaped me. It reminded me that integrity isn’t about taking the easy way out. It’s about standing firm, even when the stakes are high. And if sharing this story helps someone else find the courage to stand up for their values, then it’s worth telling.
References
• Environmental Protection Agency. (2020). Regulations for refrigerants: Protecting the ozone layer. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from
• Molina, M. J., & Rowland, F. S. (1974). Stratospheric sink for chlorofluoromethanes: Chlorine atom-catalyzed destruction of ozone. Nature, 249(5460), 810–812.
• Six, C., & Kotler, P. (2008). Dead Heat: Global justice and global warming. Praeger.
• Smith, N. M. (2018). Between Earth and Sky: Climate change and human survival. .W. Norton & Company.
Reply 2 Michael Sinclair
I work in law enforcement and I am proud and not proud to say there is a lot gray area in my profession. We have to abide by the U.S. and the state’s constitution along with other laws and agency policy. However, as long as we are following the laws and policy, we are authorized to accomplish our mission in the way the officer / team / agency feels like it is most appropriate. There is not a single right way of completing a traffic stop, arrest or addressing a call.
To complicate things a bit, I am a supervisor within my agency. Now I have the pleasure of educating, monitoring, and mentoring staff to stay “on the road” in regards to the laws and policies that are expected of them. We should not violate laws but it really isn’t that simple. I can provide an example of an officer responding to back-up for a serious but non-emergent reason. Can I speed to get to my partner? I’m not saying drive 100 mph but consider 5 -30 mph over the posted limit. State law defines when law enforcement is authorized to violate laws. In my vague example this would be an example of ethical (law) versus morality.
Generally, this example would be a violation of the law but given the circumstances on why the speeding violation occurred I believe most citizens would understand. There are many situations where police are not authorized by law to drive in emergency mode with lights and siren or drive faster without the lights and siren turned on.
As a supervisor, this is operating in the gray area and makes my job complicated. Yes, law enforcement could be doing something wrong but for a valid reason. Similar to a parent speeding to drive their injured child to the hospital. They would not be approved to speed for this situation but sometimes the law could be bent or overlooked given the situation.
Another example I will use in the workplace will revolve around employee contracts and wages. In my employment we often are needed to work outside of our regular work hours. When this occurs union contract stated minimum number of hours that should be paid to the employee. I work night shift and if I have court at 11am this could fall outside of my regular work hours. I am owed by contract a minimum number of hours to compensate me for this time and inconvenience. I mention inconvenience because this will interfere with my sleep and home schedule dramatically. So, if my court appearance is only 10 minutes long, I should be approved for hours of overtime by contract. Ethically and morally, I think this is acceptable.
I remember when I was a deputy, I had a supervisor call me while I was on my personal time. The conversation lasted than five minutes, however, the supervisor was asking me questions about the area I work in and the information I could provide him would be helpful in their investigation. Again, we have a union contract and I was called upon outside my normal work hours and I have the right to submit overtime for this short phone call. This situation would be ethically right but would be frowned upon in my agency.
