50 Case Studies for Management and Supervisory Training

273

Case 50

Who, me?

Part 1—What a Surprise

Background Information

Betty Dover was the chief medical technologist in Windmore General Hospital’s

medical laboratory. She was the general supervisor in charge of the 12 laboratory

technicians (five men and seven women) who staffed the lab from 6:00 a.m.

through 9:00 p.m. each night, seven days a week. Betty usually enjoyed her work,

in no small part because the employees working for her did a good job and got

along well together.

“Perhaps too well together,” she thought to herself as she sat at her desk, thinking

about the recent events that had made life more difficult for everyone.

The whirlwind centered on Nelson Washington. Nelson, 32, was married and had

two children. One of four African American employees working in the laboratory,

he had a bachelor’s degree and previous experience as a lab assistant in a life sci-

ences firm. When the firm downsized two years ago, he joined the Windmore

Hospital staff and quickly impressed Betty with his interpersonal skills as well as

his job skills. Betty had been very happy with how well he fit into the work group

in the laboratory, and he turned out to be a model employee: quiet yet sociable, hard

working, and conscientious.

Betty was not aware of any personal problems between any of the employees in

the lab. In fact, if anything, Betty thought the employees were a little too familiar

with one another: they seemed to keep up a running commentary about sexual mat-

ters, and everyone in the unit participated in it. For example, Betty had heard a con-

versation the other day about bust sizes. The conversation had been general in

nature, without anyone mentioning a particular lab worker, and everyone laughed

and joked along, or so it seemed to Betty.

Given Nelson’s style and the generally good morale, then, Betty was particularly

shocked when two of the women technologists in the lab, Mary Wilson and Susan

Foley, accused Nelson of propositioning them. The women, both white, worked on

the evening shift. It was common for them and their friend, Winona Franklin, one of

the other African American employees, to spend some time working alongside

Nelson in the late afternoon when their shifts overlapped.

Not long after the discussion about bust sizes, Mary and Susan asked to speak to

Betty before she left for the day. Nelson had the day off.

Mary Wilson explained what happened: “Last night, about 8:00 p.m., Nelson

called the lab. I think he might have been at a bar. In any case, we talked a while

and we kidded a little more about the bust size discussion we had the day before.

Did you hear about that?”

Betty nodded her head yes.

Mary continued, “Well, he just came out and asked if I would like to meet him at

the Shady Pines Motor Court, you know, that motel up on Route 96. He said he’d

50 Case Studies for Management and Supervisory Training

274

Case 50 (continued)

get us a room and show me a ‘real good time,’ as he put it. It was clear that he

wanted me to go to bed with him. I was shocked and kind of fumbled out that I

couldn’t. He then asked to talk with Susan or Winona. Winona was on break, so I

let Susan have the phone.”

Susan picked up the conversation, “When I got on the phone, we talked for a

minute or so, then basically he asked me whether I’d meet him at the Shady Pines,

just what he said to Mary. I was too shocked to answer and said I had to go because

we were real busy.”

Mary spoke up: “We were both so shocked when we realized he propositioned us

both. We talked about it all during the shift last night, and decided to tell you. We

don’t want that to happen again.”

Betty agreed and thanked them for talking with her.

CASE QUESTIONS

1. Is this a sexual harassment problem?

2. What should Betty do about it? How should she proceed?

3. Does Betty have any responsibility for what happened?