question archive Case: Arlington Home for the Aged Gordon worked as a food service attendant at Arlington Home for the Aged
Case: Arlington Home for the Aged Gordon worked as a food service attendant at Arlington Home for the Aged
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Case: Arlington Home for the Aged
Gordon worked as a food service attendant at Arlington Home for the Aged. His job description included preparing food and assisting residents who could not feed themselves. Gordon had been working for his employer for almost three years when he was involved in an incident that led to his dismissal.
On the day in question Gordon was working in the kitchen with two female coworkers, washing dishes and preparing food. Music was playing on the radio, and one of Gordon's coworkers asked him. "Are you going to do little dance for us?" The other employee asked. "Are you uncomfortable with your body?" Gordon left the kitchen, went to a nearby storage area, removed all of his clothing and went back to the kitchen. He streaked in front of his two coworkers, waving his arms to get their attention. The incident lasted a few seconds. Gordon returned a few minutes later with his clothes on and laughed about what he had done.
The next day Gordon bragged to several coworkers about what he had done and how funny it was. When management questioned Gordon, he admitted that he had streaked his coworkers. The employer investigated the incident and found Gordon had no explanation for his behaviour other than he was joking with his coworkers. Gordon apologized to his coworkers after management spoke to him.
The employer had a code of conduct and policy on workplace harassment in place, which provided that if the policy was breached the penalties included dismissal. It was confirmed during the investigation that Gordon had attended training on these policies and was aware of their content. The employer terminated Gordon and the letter of termination stated that he had violated the employer's policies, and the employer could not condone sexual harassment in the workplace.
As a union, how do you want this dispute to be decided?
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Dispute resolution strategy preferred by a union
The union wants the dispute resolved in the least punishing way. The union prefers the use of a dispute resolution method that creates a bond between the employer and the employee rather than breaking the bond. The best strategy that the union prefers in the case under consideration is mediation. In this case, the employer and Gordon, the employees, come together and talk about the incidence. An impartial third party comes in and tries to assist the employer and Gordon come up with an effective way to resolve the problem at hand (Petrean, 2018). Mediation is best as the two conflicting parties come together to determine a common ground. Through the process of talking to each other, it is likely that a more tolerable position will be attained in the end. Therefore, it is likely to lead to a win-win position where a future recurrence of the problem is unlikely. The union prefers mediation as it will allow the employer to cool down and offer a warning to the employees. It will also give the employee a chance to regret his actions and take caution never to repeat again. The overall good of the firm and the two parties is given a priority as opposed to the need to compete against each other or cause pain to the other party.
