Abstract
The nature of forgiveness is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. After experiencing organizational damage, trauma, or injustice, one challenge facing leaders is to help the organization heal, restore positive energy, and enhance resiliency. Fostering forgiveness is one effective mechanism for achieving those outcomes. This paper illustrates how justice and forgiveness was analyzed within my workforce and implications established to eliminate the issue from reoccurring. Primary focus will be on interpreting the problem from the perspective of self-responsibility. Keywords: workplace, justice, forgiveness, self-responsibility, accountability, ownership.

Justice and Forgiveness in the Workplace
Socialization and positive chemistry amongst individuals of any given company is desired yet not always attained. Having a work environment in where most individuals get along not only makes it a suitable environment to work in but also an enjoyable one to be a part of. However, in order to portray such healthy environment one must first analyze the individuals that make up such environment and ask are they here for the betterment of the company or are they just here for a paycheck? This paper discusses the importance of self-responsibility and exemplifies the power of justice and forgiveness.
Issue at Hand Within the past, couple months my company had been going through many unforeseen changes. Due to the unsolicited changes, employees’ morale and spirits had been hindered. A respected leader within the banking center decided to organize a team dinner in where everyone was invited to have a good time and leave the centers issues and concerns aside for a few hours. Any issue can be resolved through some patience and time. You may ask what makes this situation any different, for one, our company was handing out “pink slips” to an unknown number of associates. Job insecurity was the main focal point to many associates. The worry and fear of waiting for that slip was haunting many. Needless to say, seniority, performance and experience were not being considered amongst the job layoffs. Profit and downsizing was at the forefront for the CEO’s of the company. As associates started arriving to dinner, everyone was making their way to their seats. Needless to say, the turnout was phenomenal, every single associate attended the gathering. As the night progressed, people started ordering drinks, dinner and enjoying themselves. Through unexplainable conversations associates children’s were being talked about and associates pasts were being discussed. Everyone seemed as if they were still enjoying themselves and drinks kept on coming. Eventually the problems at work were a mere topic of the past that no one seemed to want to remember. After a few drinks, associates were getting comfortable with one another and started cracking jokes. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the laid-back sense of humor that was alive within the table. Before long, the jokes started involving conversations from earlier in the night. Innocently enough the jokes started being referenced to associates children and areas of opportunity at work. Importantly to say every associate was telling jokes to one another throughout the entire night. In a matter of minutes, an awkward silence lingered the room. A silence that did not exist until then. Within minutes one of the associates said she was going to leave and said bye to her guest. As simple and unexplainable as it seems she just got up and left. Everyone was mind struck; everyone was asking what caused such unexpected behavior. As a leader, I had to analyze what just occurred that made one of my teammates feel uncomfortable and leave. As everyone sat around the table puzzled, one of the guests receives a text from the associate that left abruptly. She mentions in her text that she felt disrespected and unappreciated by the jokes that were being aimed at her. She goes onto say that she felt attacked and felt as if everyone was setting her up. She did not appreciate how her children were brought up into the jokes or how her weaknesses at work were seen as comical. She finishes by saying that if she knew that she was going to be the center of the jokes that she would have thought twice before attending the team dinner. In all fairness to every associate present, everyone partook in the jokes. Everyone was telling jokes as well as receiving them. Not one associate was being targeted or nonetheless being picked on. Each associate maintained a balanced conversation throughout the entire night. As we all contemplated on her reaction and how she felt, the silence remained around the table. After several minutes, the shock diminished and chaos broke loose within the table. Associates were expressing how frustrated they felt with her attitude towards the situation others were trying to understand her point of view. Ironically, she was cracking jokes on others and they did not get offended however, when it came to her she “could not take the heat.” Others were stating that maybe the jokes were a bit too personal and probably a sensitive topic for her to discuss. Regardless, I as the manager was now stuck in a situation that would determine the fate of my team’s self-worth. If I thought the situation could not get worse, it did. Through the next couple of days at work the awkwardness, silence and discomfort was evident. Business talk was all that was discussed and no side conversations were initiated. I assumed that she would eventually come to her senses and we would assume the profound business culture that we once had. Within days, she escalated the situation to our district manager (the head officer of our banking center) and stated that she needed to be transferred out of our banking center. Our district manager asked her what was her reasoning, she stated that she refused to work with our team again because she felt as if she was set up and she did not feel safe. She made it a point to state that she refused to be in the same banking center with us for another day. Though my district manager got input from everyone that was involved he thought that for the sake of the business it would be best to transfer her out. Enacting Justice and Forgiveness After reflecting on the situation as a whole, I could not help but ask myself where I went wrong as a leader. Subsequently reading Elie Wiesels, Night, I realized the power of forgiveness and what respectable action was needed from me as a leader. Wiesel states, “For in the end, it is all about memory, its sources and its magnitude, and, of course, its consequences" (p.13, 2008). I did not want to be thought of as an ineffective leader that failed to lead in a time of need rather I wanted to be remembered as a leader that turned a sour situation into an unambiguous memory. However before I could take any further action, I had to reflect on the situation. I had to ask myself why it is hard for me to forgive her. Why am I second-guessing myself? My mentor had me ponder the experience with a neutral mindset. She made me reflect on a few questions; how would I feel if I were in her situation? Would I have felt appreciated? Did she feel comfortable and safe? As a leader, where should I have drawn the line? As I mused over her questions, she then asked me how do you feel. By asking me how I felt she wanted me to vent my frustrations and feelings of injustice to her rather that to someone else. I told her that I did not feel the need to apologize because my team and I did nothing wrong. I went onto say that she is as guilty as anyone of my teammates for saying such insensitive jokes to one another. In addition, anyone of my teammates should have got offended as well due to the insensible things she was saying to them. After a few moments, I felt relieved to finally get to express my feeling towards the whole situation to a leader that was not judgmental. Though I was relentless and did not want to forgive, I realized that forgiveness is person dependent for the reason that everyone is different; no one has the same thoughts. Culture, religion, and family are just some of the things that obviously influence how a person defines forgiveness. I knew then and was able to understand the infamous concept Desmund Tutu was exemplifying throughout his text, purely love the sinner not the sin (1999, p.83).
Call to Action
I realized we tend to remember the undesirable actions of others that affected us and made us feel bad. Forgiveness is the act of overcoming the feeling of resentment or revenge for the person who has done wrong actions (Tutu, 1999). Acceptance of apology may be forgiveness for some, while helping the other who hurt you to get out of the habit of harm may be a way for others.
After a couple of weeks, I asked the associate if she would be willing to meet me for lunch to discuss the mishap. Without hesitation, she agreed and a certain relief was lifted from me. Unfortunately, anxiety started to build up. However, through positive encouragement I kept reassuring myself that it was only the right thing to do.
Time came and we both greeted each other with genuine hugs. I immediately started the conversation acknowledging that the situation escalated to a level that I was not proud of. I went onto say that as a leader I should have stepped in sooner to alleviate the severity of the jokes. In addition, I told her that I appreciate her as a teammate and as a leader. I advised her that the intentions of my team and I were never to disrespect her or her family, we were all just trying to have fun with one another.
After careful consideration, she gave me a hug and said thank you! Thank you was not what I was expecting, however felt grateful to hear such kind words. She stated that she felt that the situation escalated quickly and she turned into the target for all jokes. I then was able to see hurt she really was by such insensible jokes. I could not help but to tear up and say sorry once more. She mentioned she did not resent my team or me and appreciated me taking the time to talk over the situation. She commended me for my leadership and said that I did not fail as her leader because any toxic leader would ignore the situation and not take any ownership. She asked me to tell the team that she indeed is sorry and will always appreciate them for their sincerity and leadership.
Lesson Learned
As a leader, I will never let such issue escalate to a point where someone feels targeted or disrespected. I learned we all make mistakes, when we learn to forgive others; we can also seek forgiveness when we commit faults. The virtue of forgiveness helps us come out of the feeling of self-blame (Wiesenthal, 1997). When we fail to forgive ourselves, we often do not realize that others had forgiven us long before we were too busy hating ourselves.
Forgiveness allows us to feel buoyant and helps us eliminate self-guilt that occupies our peace of mind. Forgiveness is a way to self-fulfillment (Tutu, 1999). People who readily forgive others are much more content and satisfied with themselves than those who hold resentment towards themselves and others.
After being forgiven by my associate, I felt a sense of peace and happiness. It is amazing how such amnesty is weighted on someone. From that moment forward, I made it a point in my personal life to always forgive, even those who do not ask for forgiveness. I answered my own question in this class; do others deserve to be forgiven even if they do not ask for forgiveness? In the words of the infamous Elie Wiesel, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

References
Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness. New York: Doubleday.
Wiesel, E. (2006). Night. New York: Hill & Wang.
Wiesenthal, S. (1997). The sunflower. On the possibilities and limits of forgiveness. New York:
Schocken Books.