Question

Writing: Using Plain Language; Communication Ethics: Making Ethical Choices, [LO-3], Chapter 1 Your company has been a major employer in the local community for years, but shifts in the global marketplace have forced some changes in the company’s long-term direction. In fact, the company plans to reduce local staff- ing by as much as 50 percent over the next 5 to 10 years, starting with a small layoff next month. The size and timing of future layoffs have not been decided, although there is little doubt that more layoffs will happen at some point. In the first draft of a letter aimed at community leaders, you write that “this first layoff is part of a con- tinuing series of staff reductions anticipated over the next several years.” However, your boss is concerned about the vagueness and negative tone of the language and asks you to rewrite that sentence to read “this layoff is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to continually align its resources with global market conditions.” Do you think this suggested wording is ethical, given the company’s economic influence in the community? Explain your an- swer in an email message to your instruct I need help on this question

Answer 1

Dear XYZ,

This is in reference to the approach of laying off employees as part of the global shift business strategy and as we are planning to reduce our local strength of employees we may experience issues regarding the same as we have been playing an important role in hiring and in the economy of the community. I feel that it is unethical when we mention that we have anticipated staff reduction in the next few years because the community has huge expectations front us and we may actually disappoint them. I feel that instead of laying off huge number of employees we can actually think of an alternative by training and developing these employees and use them for the organization and that would be a better approach because then the brand value of the organization will remain what it is.

Maintaining a positive brand value is mandatory at this point as we plan to expand and penetrate the global market, laying off huge number of employees may create a stir and may also affect the strategy of the organization. We may layoff employees but that should be in a constructive way and should not be random reduction of numbers.

Please let me know your thought and opinion in the matter.

Thanks

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