Deni Elliott , Ethics Officer
	Jeff Cable , Ethics Educator

Managerial mistakes are not moral mistakes

An employee called the Ethics Office in frustration. “I've had enough,” he said. “My supervisor has her favorite employees and gives them the best assignments.”

A conversation with the manager showed that the employee was right. “I didn't think about how it might look to other employees,” the manager said, “but I have gotten in the habit of looking to two employees in particular when rush jobs come in the door. I know that they'll finish the jobs quickly and the results will be great.”

The manager and ethics officer worked out a plan that included offering new projects to employees in turn. An employee might turn down the opportunity due to other priorities, but the manager no longer made assumptions about employee availability.

An Ethics Office follow-up showed that the new plan was working well. Employees felt that they had a fair shot at new projects and the supervisor was recognizing talents in employees that she hadn't noticed before.

The manager made an error in judgment, but it was not an ethical failing. Learning from one's mistakes is how one grows and develops throughout life. But, imagine that the situation had been brought to the manager's attention and she decided to continue with her pattern despite the appearance of favoritism.

Now, that would be a matter of ethical concern. A manager must be concerned if his or her choices appear fair, as well as if they are fair. As a governmental agency, our job is to model transparency, to the public and to employees as well.

Send your thoughts to ethics@mwdh2o.com .