My Experience with a Manual Laborer

Since the time when I joined college, I have gained an extensive knowledge as well as experience in relation to ethical considerations in all spheres of life, including conduction of business transactions. After the acquisition of a rich theoretical background on the subject of ethics, it has always been my wish successfully to execute a business dealing with other people while applying ethics. Therefore, recently, my father was in need of manual laborer to fix our clogged toilet and I volunteered to help, so as to assess my hands-on skills when it comes to dealing with people on the work setting. My father delegated this duty to me, having confidence that I will meet the intended results. I asked for a referral for the best person to fix the toilet from our neighbor, and I was referred to a local man, named Charles, who had a vast knowledge on fixing clogged toilets.

Firstly, in order to prevent a conflict of interest, I had to find out what is the market price of manual laborers who fix clogged toilets. Having studied a number of units in business, it was not hard for me to try and find out what the normal price for this sort of manual skill costs in the market. The concept of finding the standard pay-rate in the market was necessary for making sure that the worker was not underpaid. This is a very significant ethical issue that surround most business transactions. Ethics in this kind of business refers to compensating a laborer the in the right or wrong way. An ethically correct compensation is the paying of a sufficient amount of money to the worker which is equivalent to the amount of work that he has done, whereas an ethical wrong is the vice versa. After searching for the typical compensation of for this job on the Internet, I found out that normally they are paid $100 after working for a period of at most 5hours.

Secondly, after giving Charles a warm reception, I discussed with him concerning the amount of remuneration that he would agree to receive in order to complete this task. He at first asked for a $150 bill, which I felt was too high. As is the norm of any business dealing, there is always a room for negotiating or bargaining on the price of a good or service. After negotiating for a while, we settled on a bill of $1200. Despite the amount being higher than the average price in the market for this sort of work, I decided to settle on it since it would serve the function of motivating Charles to do a great job. Motivating of one’s employees or laborers is an essential ethical consideration that should be observed in the employer-employee relationship. As a result, Charles was happy and contented, and promised to fix the toilet competently.

Thirdly, I made sure that Charles had the right equipments for the job. These equipments are necessary so as to make sure that he does not get harmed while performing his duties. They included items such as gloves, gumboots, and a thick apron that are needed for a safe completion of the job. Although every employer seeks to maximize his or her utility in terms of expenditure, it is ethical to make sure that one’s staff are safe while carrying out their duties. Therefore, they ought to be provided with equipments that put their safety into consideration. As a result, Charles was able to finish his work in a safe way.

In addition, in order to show Charles that I value him and appreciate his well done job, I made a decision to provide him with a free lunch. He was so delighted by this act, and we even got a chance to get to know each other over lunch. One of the ethical issues in dealing with employees is to show them that you value and treasure them. This is an important ethical concept as manual laborers are human and social beings.

Consequently, I paid Charles his dues after lunch was over. In any business dealing, it is important that both parties maintain their respective parts of the bargain. This is a significant aspect that makes sure that people are honest, which then instills confidence to both parties.

In conclusion, whereas this was my first experience as a manager of another person in the business setting, I was happy that I not only pulled it through, but I also applied ethics during the dealing. This practical experience aroused my interest in the ethical treatment of workers in the work environment. It also helps me appreciate the role that ethics plays in our society, particularly in businesses. It is significant that employers treat their employees in a manner that is ethically responsible, as this produces a society where all people treat others well. It is my intention to continue ethical engagement in my future dealings with manual laborers.