You are the head of the Human Resources department of an... | UPSC 2017 GS4 Q11

QUESTION 11

GS4

20 marks

You are the head of the Human Resources department of an organisation. One day one of the workers died on duty. His family was demanding compensation. However, the company denied compensation because it was revealed in investigation that he was drunk at the time of the accident. The workers of the company went to strike demanding compensation for the family of the deceased. The Chairman of the management board has asked for your recommendation. What recommendation would you provide the management? Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the recommendations.

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14 min

250 words

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What the examiner wants

Recommend a fair HR response when a drunk worker dies on duty and workers strike for his family.

Case studyName the stakeholders and the issues, weigh the options, and say what you would do and why.

Demand-wise check

1Stakeholders: deceased's family, workers, management, shareholders, chairman≈50 words
2Ethical issues: legal liability vs compassion, discipline vs humanity, industrial peace, precedent≈50 words
3Options: deny (consistent but harsh, strike continues); full compensation (peace but may signal tolerance of drinking); ex-gratia humanitarian aid plus job for a dependant without admitting fault, with strict anti-alcohol policy (balanced)≈50 words
4Recommendation: legal compensation as required, ex-gratia support, de-addiction and safety measures, dialogue with union≈50 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

StakeholdersIssuesOptions with merits/demeritsRecommendationSystemic reformConclusion

Where marks usually go

Assuming drunkenness removes all liability
Ignoring the strike and workers' dialogue

Draw this

Options table with merits and demerits

Value addition

LawUnder Section 3 of the Employees' Compensation Act, 1923, the drunkenness exception applies only to injury not resulting in death or permanent total disablement; for death, the employer remains liable.Employees' Compensation Act, 1923
ThinkerKant: treat persons as ends, not means; the family's dignity matters regardless of fault.Immanuel Kant

Mapped topper copies

Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.

K Varun Reddy · Page 41 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 37 ↗Same syllabus reference
Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference

Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.

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