UPSC Mains 2017 GS4 Q11 — HR Ethics
You are the head of the Human Resources department of an organisation. One day one of the workers died on duty. His family was demanding compensation. However, the company denied compensation because it was revealed in investigation that he was drunk at the time of the accident. The workers of the company went on to strike demanding compensation for the family of the deceased. The Chairman of the management board has asked for your recommendation. What recommendation would you provide to the management ? Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the recommendations. (250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- recommendationDiscuss
- Scope keywords
- head of the Human Resourcesdied on dutydrunk at the time of the accidentworkers of the company went on to strikemerits and demerits
- Implicit sub-parts
- Identify the ethical dilemma between legal adherence and humanitarian compassion.
- Evaluate the long-term impact on organizational culture and industrial relations.
- Propose a 'middle path' that addresses the family's grief without validating workplace intoxication.
- Suggest preventive institutional measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents.
- Common pitfalls
- Taking a purely legalistic stand and ignoring the humanitarian crisis or the strike's impact.
- Suggesting full compensation as per law, which sets a dangerous precedent for workplace safety and policy violations.
- Neglecting the role of the union/workers and failing to address the strike's immediate resolution.
- Focusing only on the deceased worker while ignoring the systemic failure in supervising an intoxicated employee.
- Dimensions required
- Ethical (Compassion vs. Rule of Law)Legal (Workmen's Compensation Act provisions)Administrative (HR policy and safety protocols)Economic (Financial viability and industrial productivity)Social (Responsibility toward the deceased's family)
- Marks allocation hint
Dedicate 40 words to a stakeholder analysis and problem definition. Use 150 words for presenting 3-4 distinct recommendations with their corresponding merits/demerits. Allocate the final 60 words for the 'best course of action' and systemic reforms to demonstrate administrative foresight.
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