The case of Billy Tushoes is a common ethical dilemma that many people are faced with when considering the acceptance of a job. Billy has been put in a difficult situation to make a decision to keep the position he has already accepted with Tick and Check LLP, or to break his promise and commitment with Tick and Check and take a job with his preferred employer of choice, Foot and Balance LLP. Many times in life we are faced with a decision to choose between our obligations and desires. Billy Tushoes should accept the offer from Foot and Balance because it is the job he prefers. If Billy chooses to keep the job he accepted with Tick and Check there is a high possibility that his job performance will be affected negatively. In certain circumstances it is okay to back out of a promise that you have given to someone else. For example, if the promise made in the first place is unethical. This is seen when a promise goes against someone’s moral code. Another example would be if keeping the promise is going to affect a person’s well-being and their quality of life then they should not feel obligated to keep their commitment. As in Billy’s case, if he keeps the job with Tick and Check his job performance will most likely be affected negatively because he would regret not taking the job that he was really hoping to get with Foot and Balance.
The two main stakeholders in this case are Tick and Check and Foot and Balance. Both companies are interested in hiring the best candidate possible for the position that is open. Billy is also a stakeholder in this case. His interest is to work for the company that will provide him the best opportunity to advance in his profession. Other stakeholders that are not specifically mentioned in the case are the other potential candidates that were in line for the job at Tick and Check, but were denied the chance because Billy accepted the job. This affects the other potential candidates because they might have already found a job elsewhere even though they might have been happier at Tick and Check. If Billy were to leave the job, Tick and Check may have lost a far better candidate because the person they gave the job to was unreliable.
From an ethical standpoint, Billy should have informed Foot and Balance that he accepted an offer from another company and is no longer seeking employment at this time. If Billy had done that he would not have gotten the offer from Foot and Balance and would not be facing this dilemma. Instead of calling his friend, Billy should have called and explained his situation to the partner at Foot and Balance that promised to contact him about the firm’s offer. If the partner assured him that an offer would be forthcoming Billy may have been confident enough to not accept the offer from Tick and Check and wait for an offer from Foot and Balance. Also, Billy should have called Tick and Check and explained the dilemma. They might have been understanding and may have extended the deadline for which the offer was to be accepted. If Billy decides to accept the offer from Foot and Balance he should explain his reasoning behind his decision to Tick and Check and apologize.
Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, no one in this world is perfect. Billy Tushoes certainly made a few mistakes handling this situation. Even so, Billy should take the job at Foot and Balance because it is best for him. If Billy is doing a job he loves he will be much more successful. This will allow him to not only benefit himself but the company as well. If Billy were to keep his job at Tick and Check his unhappiness may affect his job performance and the company negatively because of his regret to not take the offer from Foot and Balance. Even though this decision may be seen as unethical by some, a company does not want an employee working for them that cannot perform to their full capability. Hopefully, Billy Tushoes learned from the mistakes he made and will handle things differently if he ever encounters a situation such as this again.