The “rebirth” of MHI in-person activities took place on November 6, 2021 with an ethics case discussion led by Bettina Alonso, Executive Director of Development of the Archdiocese of New York. The theme of the discussion—“Is Over-trusting Negligent?”—was sparked by a case study of Berkshire-Hathaway’s corporate policy, one that runs counter to so many others: Instead of relying on legal support and compliance experts, why not build a culture of trust by hiring trustworthy people and letting them do their job without undue interference? The relevance of this policy to the principle of subsidiarity, one of the guiding principles of the social teaching of the Catholic Church, was pointed out and potential benefits and risks were debated. The discussion quickly moved into the area of the tricky human resources issues that have arisen regarding work from home vs. physical presence at the office as we move into the post-pandemic era. As we explored the role of managers, human resources personnel, and corporate management in a variety of settings, the conversation was greatly enhanced by the wide range of experience represented from professionals in education, medicine, corporate training, and managers both from the profit and non-profit sectors. The importance of explaining how “rules”’ are linked to the common good was stressed as a way to circumvent frustration and misunderstandings.
The attendees were delighted to meet in person after 20 months of virtual sessions and to renew old acquaintances as well as make new ones, and we look forward to the another in-person session in early 2022.