Review and Discussion Questions:

ETHICAL DILEMMA

One of your subordinate sales managers has just turned in a highly negative performance evaluation for the only female member of her sales force by assigning her to the unsatisfactory performance category. Her evaluation of the twenty-four-year-old saleswoman, who was hired out of college two years ago, seems to be largely subjective and provides very little quantitative or objective written narrative support. The evaluation does not mention any failure to reach an assigned quota, complaints from customers, lack of product knowledge, or any other performance negative. Instead, the evaluation describes the saleswoman as self-centered, flippant with office staff, and detrimental to employee morale. In reviewing this saleswoman's quantitative and qualitative performance for the year, you note that she has met all her quotas and received several letters from customers praising her for outstanding service. You suspect that the sales manager may resent this young woman for some reason and want her removed from her sales force. You realize you're facing a dilemma that needs to be resolved promptly. On one side, the young saleswoman may leave if she receives this highly negative evaluation. On the other side, your subordinate sales manager may take a job with a competitor if she thinks you're not supportive of her evaluation of the saleswoman. You don't want to lose either person because both are performing well.