Blog

Case: For the very first time in the history of the State Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), a governor was taking the timeto visit the agency. The DEQ Director escorted the governor and a small entourage. They walked around the offices and the governor visited with various state employees. He went to the basement and visited workers in the Air Quality Control Division. As he went inside one office to shake an inspector’s hand, he saw a cartoon on the worker’s bulletin board. It looked like an old-fashioned woodprint illustrating sailors and navy officers on the deck of a wooden sailing ship. In the picture, the master-at-arms stood stiffly by as the chief boatswain’s matetook a cat-o’-nine-tails (basically nine small leather whips attached to a wooden baton) across the bare back of an errant sailor. The caption below the picture read in big letters “The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves.” The governor stopped and stiffened. Then he asked t

he worker, “Do you really feel this way?” “It’s just a joke … It’s just meant to be funny.” “What’s your name?” “I’m Dan … uh, Daniel. Daniel Welles.” “Dan, if you have any concerns that you think should come to my attention, give me a call directly.” The governor wrote a number on a sticky pad and handed it to Dan. The governor then left to visit the rest of the agency. The DEQ Director motioned Dan’s supervisor to come forward and he whispered in her ear, “I want you to terminate Daniel’s employment by the end of this week. That was embarrassing. Do whatever you need to do.”
QUESTION: 1. Has the DEQ Director overreacted? If so, what options does Dan’s supervisor have, if any?QUESTION: 2. If you were Dan’s supervisor, would you terminate Dan’s employment?QUESTION: 3. If terminated, what actions should Dan take?QUESTION: 4. Did the governor cross a line by talking directly with a state employee and not going through the normal chain of command