ISCUSSION OF CHAPTER 14 INCIDENTS HRM Incident 1: My Darling Matilda has held several positions at McGill Enterprises in Chicago during the past 10 years. Most recently, she served as the U.S. call center manager. McGill is planning to open a call center in another country and offered Matilda the top spot. Matilda enthusiastically accepted this assignment and moved to her new location last month. Her first goal is to fill supervisory job vacancies. James Greenwood was the first candidate. Matilda greeted James enthusiastically, “Welcome, James!” Then, she extended her hand to shake his. James did not do the same. Instead, he moved closer to Matilda and gave her a hug and a light peck on the cheek. Then, James responded to Matilda’s verbal greeting, “It’s so good to finally meet you, my darling.” As James sat down, he said, “Tell me about your family.” He added, “Are they well?” Matilda was shocked because she always took the lead in the interview process. She usually broke the ice by chatting about neutral subjects such as the weather or traffic conditions. “Thank you, James, for taking the time to meet with me.” Matilda added, “I don’t see a good fit for you in our organization.” Then, she asked James to leave. Later that day, Matilda contacted Ashley Lamare, McGill’s director of human resources, to discuss her experience. A long pause followed after Matilda relayed her story. Then, Ashley asked, “Matilda, did James do anything inappropriate?” Surprised by Ashley’s response, Matilda said, “Yes, Ashley. He called me “my darling,” and then asked about my family.” She added, “He hugged me, too!” Ashley explained that using terms of endearment such as “my darling,” “sweetheart,” and “my love,” are part of the regional dialect and typically are not suggestive of sexual interest or disrespect. In fact, both men and women use similar terms when greeting friends or others in the workplace, regardless of gender. Also, a gentle hug is a customary greeting in the workplace, much like the handshake. “How was I supposed to know that?” Matilda responded defensively. Ashley stated, “There is a lot of information about business etiquette and cultural norms on the Internet.” She added, “Matilda, you are a manager and should know to take the initiative to learn local customs.” Questions Do you believe that Matilda overreacted to James? Why or why not? Should Ashley have taken responsibility to educate Matilda before she left on assignment? Or, was it Matilda’s responsibility to educate herself? Explain. Now educated about the location’s cultural norms, Matilda decides to call James. What should she say to him? Explain.
DISCUSSION OF CHAPTER 14 INCIDENTS
HRM Incident 1: My Darling
Matilda has held several positions at McGill Enterprises in Chicago during the past 10 years. Most recently, she served as the U.S. call center manager. McGill is planning to open a call center in another country and offered Matilda the top spot.
Matilda enthusiastically accepted this assignment and moved to her new location last month. Her first goal is to fill supervisory job vacancies. James Greenwood was the first candidate. Matilda greeted James enthusiastically, “Welcome, James!” Then, she extended her hand to shake his. James did not do the same. Instead, he moved closer to Matilda and gave her a hug and a light peck on the cheek. Then, James responded to Matilda’s verbal greeting, “It’s so good to finally meet you, my darling.”
As James sat down, he said, “Tell me about your family.” He added, “Are they well?”
Matilda was shocked because she always took the lead in the interview process. She usually broke the ice by chatting about neutral subjects such as the weather or traffic conditions.
“Thank you, James, for taking the time to meet with me.” Matilda added, “I don’t see a good fit for you in our organization.” Then, she asked James to leave.
Later that day, Matilda contacted Ashley Lamare, McGill’s director of human resources, to discuss her experience. A long pause followed after Matilda relayed her story. Then, Ashley asked, “Matilda, did James do anything inappropriate?”
Surprised by Ashley’s response, Matilda said, “Yes, Ashley. He called me “my darling,” and then asked about my family.” She added, “He hugged me, too!”
Ashley explained that using terms of endearment such as “my darling,” “sweetheart,” and “my love,” are part of the regional dialect and typically are not suggestive of sexual interest or disrespect. In fact, both men and women use similar terms when greeting friends or others in the workplace, regardless of gender. Also, a gentle hug is a customary greeting in the workplace, much like the handshake.
“How was I supposed to know that?” Matilda responded defensively.
Ashley stated, “There is a lot of information about business etiquette and cultural norms on the Internet.” She added, “Matilda, you are a manager and should know to take the initiative to learn local customs.”
Questions
Do you believe that Matilda overreacted to James? Why or why not?
Should Ashley have taken responsibility to educate Matilda before she left on assignment? Or, was it Matilda’s responsibility to educate herself? Explain.
Now educated about the location’s cultural norms, Matilda decides to call James. What should she say to him? Explain.
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