Reference no: EM133043048
Case study Moonlighting Monica: What Would You Do?
On Sunday, Armando went to work to pick up a report he needed to review before an early Monday meeting. While at work, he noticed a colleague's light on and went over to her cubicle for a short visit. Monica was one of the newest systems designers on the department's staff. She was hired six weeks ago to assist with a series of human resources (HR) projects for the company. Before joining the firm, she had worked as an independent consultant to organizations trying to upgrade their HR systems that track payroll, benefits, compliance, and other issues. Monica was very well qualified, detail oriented, and hard working. She was the only female on the systems staff.
In his brief conversation with Monica, Armando felt that he was not getting the full story of her reason for being at work on a Sunday. After all, the systems team completed the first HR systems proposal on Thursday and was prepared to present its report and recommendations on Monday. Monica said she was "working on a few parts" of the project but did not get more specific. Her face turned red when Armando joked, "With the beautiful sunshine outside, only someone hoping to earn a little extra money would be at work today."
Armando and another coworker, David, presented the systems team's report to the HR staff on Monday. The HR team was generally pleased with the recommendations but wanted a number of changes in specifications. This was normal and the systems designers were prepared for the changes. Everyone on the team met that afternoon and Tuesday morning to develop a plan for revamping the HR system. By Tuesday afternoon, each member was working on his or her part of the project again.
On Friday afternoon, David went up and down the hall, encouraging everyone to go to happy hour at the pub down the street. About ten people, including Monica and Armando, went to the pub. The conversation was mainly about work and the new HR project. On several occasions, Monica offered ideas about other systems and companies with which she was familiar. Most of the systems designers listened, but a few were quick to question her suggestions. Armando assumed her suggestions were the result of work with previous clients. Over the weekend, however, Armando began to wonder whether Monica was talking about current clients. He remembered their conversation on Sunday and decided to look into the matter.
On Monday, Armando asked Monica directly whether she still had clients. Monica said yes and that she was finishing up on projects with two of them. She went on to say that she worked late hours and on the weekends and was not skimping on her company responsibilities. Armando agreed that she was a good colleague but was not comfortable with her use of company resources on personal, moneymaking projects. He was also concerned that the team's intellectual capital was being used.
What would you do?