ob involving minimal employee contact. The workers that walked off their jobs are not taking the interests of the company into account. If Paul’s illness does not present a health hazard to any of the workers they are not within their rights to walk off their jobs. In this case Natural Law dictates that supervision must convey that the company would be within their rights to discharge the 29 workers that walked off their jobs. The supervisor still has a responsibility to protect not just Cronan but all the workers. Paul Cronan from any abuse and his co-workers from the possibility of contracting any contagious illness that he may have. Supervisors are faced with another dilemma. If they fail to protect the confidentiality of medical information, an action for defamation- could result. On the other hand, employees may claim that they have a right to know so they can decide whether to keep their jobs. Where contact is more than casual, consultation and accommodation should be considered for those who work with the AIDS victims. However, a general announcement to all employees may be detrimental to morale and productivity. Under Natural Law, the supervisor has a right to expect fair treatment and understanding from all three agents toward him. He is responsible for promoting their rights but he has rights, too, and that can be overlooked or ignored. Implementing reasonable accommodations for Paul Cronan would impose financial burden on NET. That could impede the company’s participation in the free market system because fewer funds would be available to purchase goods or new equipment for the technicians. However, implementing these changes is the responsible thing to do. Not implementing them could cost the company more in the long run. Providing AIDS training for all employees would be expensive and leave fewer funds available for other service related expenses. There again, not offering the training could be more costly for t...
