Question

A large metropolitan hospital acquires a small community hospital, resulting in a total employee population of 1,000. As a result of the acquisition, the accounts receivable department from the small hospital, which has only five employees, is handling all outstanding patient accounts.

During a management workforce planning session, the HR director questions the accounts receivable manager about staffing requests for the following year. The manager informs the HR director that the department is adequately staffed and will not need more employees. Later the HR director learns that the manager has confessed to other managers that he hopes to be promoted to vice president by saving the hospital money from not hiring additional personnel.
Two accounts receivable employees terminate their hospital employment abruptly. When cleaning out the desks of these employees, the accounts receivable manager finds over 100 accounts that have not been processed; monies are still outstanding on these overdue accounts. The manager distributes these overdue invoices to the other three remaining department employees and tells them not to mention this to the controller. These employees come to the HR director in confidence to complain about the additional work, and they confide that they were instructed not to tell the controller about the incomplete work.
What should the HR director do about the accounts receivable that have not been processed?

A. Action is not needed, as the controller will find out soon enough that the accounts are past due and the work was not completed.
B. Investigate, evaluate, document, and respond to the reports of the unethical behavior with the controller and the manager.
C. Inform the remaining employees that the open accounts need to be processed immediately.
D. Tell the manager that if additional staff is not brought in, the manager will have to process all outstanding invoices.

Answer 1

A large metropolitan hospital acquires a small community hospital, resulting in a total employee population is B. Investigate, evaluate, document, and respond to the reports of the unethical behavior with the controller and the manager.

Step-by-step explanation:

The HR director should take immediate action to address the unethical behavior within the accounts receivable department. Investigating the reports, evaluating the situation, documenting findings, and responding appropriately are crucial steps in maintaining ethical standards within the organization.

Addressing the issue with the controller ensures transparency and accountability at the managerial level. The controller needs to be aware of the incomplete work and the manager's instructions to withhold this information. Open communication with the controller allows for a comprehensive understanding of the situation and aids in determining the appropriate course of action.

Moreover, documenting the investigation and response is essential for creating a record of the incident, which may be needed for future reference or to demonstrate compliance with organizational policies. This approach helps maintain integrity within the workplace and ensures that ethical lapses are appropriately addressed, contributing to a healthy and accountable organizational culture.