In the article from BBC Capital, “The slippery slope of getting away with small stuff,” the president of Skillbridge Inc, Morse, explains how he was put into a situation where he did the wrong things for the “right” reasons. Morse was persuaded to grant his “star developer” special requests because he turned in quality work. Meanwhile, the other employees were not given any of these privileges. The pressure of high expectations caused Morse to act irrationally and unprofessionally. While his employee continued being paid, Morse stopped receiving any work. Two unethical cases can be identified in this scenario. Morse bent the rules for his employee in hopes of receiving better work from him by allowing him to work at home and take extended time off. Second, it was immoral for his employee to take advantage of his profitable situation. In the employer’s case it’s the first success that tempts him to keep going. Once that comes into effect, people have troubles knowing their limits. This selfish and deceiving behaviour dishonours the whole idea of “social responsibility.” No matter how clever or persuasive someone can be, if they use their powerful skills in an unjust way to maximize personal profit, in the end their value will be worthless. In order to thrive in the business world, respect and credibility are vital.
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140806-the-slippery-slope