Reena is the Ethics and Compliance Officer at a government-owned IT firm with a strong reputation for delivering time-bound tech solutions. One morning, she receives a formal complaint from a female software engineer alleging repeated verbal harassment and intimidating behaviour by the Regional Operations Head, a senior officer widely regarded for saving two failing national e-governance projects. The complaint includes screenshots of inappropriate late-night messages and statements from two interns who were witnesses to an incident. During her initial inquiry, Reena finds that some team members view the senior officer as demanding but they deny seeing direct harassment. Others seem reluctant to speak openly. The HR Head, a long-time colleague of the accused, privately tells Reena, "Don't escalate this. We'll fix it quietly. He's too valuable to lose." The Managing Director also expresses concern: "Let's protect the company's image, we've had a clean record so far." There's also pressure to shift the complainant to another team as a "practical compromise." As the Ethics & Compliance Officer, Reena had to take an immediate call before the situation escalated. 1. Identify the ethical and administrative issues confronting Reena. 2. What are her possible options? Which is the most appropriate and why? 3. Suggest systemic safeguards to address workplace harassment in public institutions.

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2025

Syllabus: Case Studies on above issues.