Donna Bookoutcoe

Donna Bookout-Coe is the head of human resources at Speed’s towing company. During her tenure she has been presented with a variety of workplace issues that fall under her jurisdiction. Donna must handle each of these four situations in manners that are ethical, positively contribute to the business environment, as well as prevent future occurrences.

In the first vignette, Donna must decide how to proceed with insider information she has received from one of her dispatchers Kathy Conklin. Kathy has just informed Donna that her boyfriend Doug, who is also one of the drivers, has been using drugs and Donna has promised to handle the problem. Donna can trust the information that Kathy has provided her and choose to ask if any other employee has noticed a problem with Doug in order to justify a drug test. Second, Donna can choose to test employees for drugs more regularly in hopes that if Kathy is being truthful, it will come up in a test. Lastly, Donna can choose not to Kathy’s information, as there is the possibility that she has false information and acting on Kathy’s word could result in major backlash for Donna and her company.

Donna should implement a new drug testing policy that tests employees more often, for example once per month, rather than the current screenings situations. This is the best solution for Donna as she will avoid all possible legal ramifications. Due to the company’s strict drug policy, Doug could sue the company in the event that either Kathy’s claim was untrue, or if Donna were to ask around for witnesses. While this solution is not perfect as it Doug will not be able to be tested right away, altering the drug testing regulations is fair to the employee in question, will not harm worker morale, and will ensure that the company will not have to deal with a similar circumstance in the future. Since the drivers are such a crucial part of the business, it is vital for Donna and Speed’s to ensure that their drivers are safe on the road and...