For many employees, protecting themselves or safeguarding their jobs is the primary factor in deciding whether to put third-party interests above those of the firm. Concern with self-interest in cases that pit loyalty to the company against other obligations is altogether understandable and even warranted. After all, workers who subordinate the organization’s interests to an outside party’s expose themselves to charges of disloyalty, disciplinary action , freezes in job status, forced relocations, and even dismissal. Furthermore, even when an employee successfully blows the whistle , he or she can be blacklisted in an industry. Given the potential harm to self and family that employees risk in honoring obligations to third parties, it is perfectly legitimate to inquire about the weight that considerations of self-interest should be given in resolving cases of conflicting obligations.
Sadly, there is no clear, unequivocal answer to this question. Moral the orists and society as a whole do distinguish between prudential reasons and moral reasons. “Prudential” (from the word prudence) refers here to considerations of self-interest; ”moral” refers here to considerations of the interests of others and the demands of morality. Chapter1 explained that it is possible for prudential and moral considerations to pull us in different directions. One way of looking at their relationship is this: If prudential concerns outweigh moral ones , then employees may do what is in their own best interest. If moral reasons override prudential ones, then workers should honor their obligations to others.