Prompt:
You are a junior marketing executive. On Monday, you find your colleague Tom upset.
He overheard your boss on a private call discussing plans to outsource your department, though no announcement has been made. Rumors spread as coworkers grow anxious, and productivity drops.
At lunch, you hear senior executives quietly discussing potential layoffs.
That afternoon, your boss asks you to prepare a presentation requiring significant overtime from the entire team. If outsourcing is imminent, this effort might be wasted.
Tom, meanwhile, is updating his resume and wonders whether to warn the team or wait for an official announcement. You leave work conflicted, balancing loyalty to the company, colleagues, and your career.
Questions:
- What ethical factors come into play when deciding to share rumors of potential outsourcing?
- With uncertainty about the department's future, describe the steps you would take to handle the project your boss assigned?
- Should Tom warn the team about the potential outsourcing? What would you advise him and why?