Académique Documents
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Culture Documents
EthicsintheWorkplace
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Theapplicationofmoralprinciples,standardsofbehavior,orsetofvalues
regarding proper conduct in the workplace as individuals and in a group
setting
Ethicsallowyoutodistinguishthedifferencebetweenrightandwrong
TheEssentials
Everycompanyisdifferentbuttheyallshouldtakethefollowinginto
consideration:
Trustworthiness
Respect
Responsibility
Fairness
Caring
RelationshipsandEthics
Ethicsappliestoanyrelationshipbetweenthefollowingindividuals:
Management/Supervisors
Colleagues/Employees
Customers
Communication is key among management, employees, and customers in
orderforrespecttobeextendedtoeachpersonwithintheorganization,and
promoterelationshipsthatarebasedonhonestyandintegrity
Becautioustocrossthelinebetweenpersonalfriendshipsintheworkplace
andprofessionalism
1.3-Poor Ethics
way:
Everybody does it Its not part of my job description Nobody
CHAPTER:2IMPORTANCEOFETHICSINWORKPLACE
2.1THENEEDFORETHICS
If your workplace lacks ethical standards, your employer risks losing valuable
employees and customers and possibly even more. Federal laws impose heavier
penaltiesonemployersconvictedofcriminalwrongdoingiftheycannotprovethat
theyve made efforts to implement ethical measures to prevent and deter illegal
conduct.
Someoftheprimaryformsofemployeemisconductorunethicalbehaviorincludethe
following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Misrepresentingtimeorhoursworked;
Lyingtosupervisors;
Lyingtocoworkers,customers,vendors,orthepublic;
Misuseofyouremployersassets;and
Lyingonreportsorfalsifyingrecords.
Asyoucansee,thereisawidespreadneedforethicsinyourworkplace.Acodeof
ethics can provide guidelines for your conduct and help improve the overall
atmosphere of your work place. Your employers workplace ethics policy deters
employee misconduct, avoids conflicts of interest, helps keep you and your co
workershonest,providesyouwithguidelinesforresolvingsensitiveissues,andhelps
makeclearthatallemployeesareresponsiblefortheirunethicalbehavior.
2.2YOURROLEINETHICS
Neverunderestimatetheroleyouplayinimplementinganethicalworkplace.You
may be surprised to learn that you are responsible for policing ethics in your
workplace.Thismeansyoumustbeeducatedandinformedonyouremployersethics
policyandcodeofconduct.Youmustalsobevigilantinwatchingoutforethical
violations.
Thinkaboutitasbeingpartofyourjob.Thatsrightitspartofyourjob.Itsnot
just your bosss job and not just the role of your HR department or upper
management. Much of the burden for preventing ethical violations falls on you
becauseasanemployee,youreinastrongpositiontoknowifanethicalbreach
occurs.Afterall,youoftenworkverycloselywithyourcoworkers,whichmeansyou
may be in a position to witness their ethical dilemmas or breaches when your
supervisesoresarenot.
Yourenotexpectedtobeapoliceofficer,judge,andjuryallinone,butyouare
responsible for helping to create and main train an ethical workplace, and this
bookletisdesignedtohelp.Throughyourreading,youlllearnwhatworkplaceethics
covers(hint,morethanyoumaythink),whatactionsareethicalandunethical,and
howtoreportpotentialviolations.
2.3TheBenefits&ImportanceofEthicsintheWorkplace
The Ethics Resource Center reports that non-unionized employees
perceive stronger ethical cultures within their organizations than
their unionized counterparts. The non-profit organization also
reports that young workers are more likely to perceive weak ethical
cultures within their companies than older ones. Managers also tend
to
value
stronger
ethical
cultures
than
employees
in
non-
strong
ethical culture
within
your
business.
CHAPTER:3WorkplaceEthics&Behavior
Workplace ethics and behavior are a crucial part of employment, as
both are aspects that can assist a company in its efforts to be
profitable. In fact, ethics and behavior are just as important to most
companies as performance as high morale and teamwork are two
ingredients for success. Every business in every industry has certain
guidelines to which its employees must adhere, and frequently
outline such aspects in employee handbooks.
Behavior
Allcompaniesspecifywhatisacceptablebehavior,andwhatisnot,whenhiringan
employee.Manyevensummarizeexpectedconductinjobdescriptionsorduringthe
interviewprocess.Behaviorguidelinestypicallyaddresstopics,suchasharassment,
workattireandlanguage.Workerswhodontfollowcodesofconductmayreceive
writtenandverbalwarnings,andultimatelybefired.
Integrity
Akeycomponenttoworkplaceethicsandbehaviorisintegrity,orbeinghonestand
doingtherightthingatalltimes.Forexample,healthcareemployeeswhoworkwith
mentallyorphysicallychallengedpatientsmustpossessahighdegreeofintegrity,as
thosewhomanageandworkprimarilywithmoney.Workerswithintegrityalsoavoid
gossipandsneakinesswhileonthejob.
Accountability
Taking responsibility for your actions is another major factor when it comes to
workplaceethicsandbehavior.Thatmeansshowinguponscheduledworkdays,as
wellasarrivingontimeandputtinginanhonesteffortwhileonthejob.Workerswho
exhibit accountability are honest when things go wrong, then work toward a
resolutionwhileremainingprofessionalallthewhile.
Teamwork
Avitalaspectoftheworkplaceisworkingwellwithothers.Thatincludeseveryone
frompeerstosupervisorstocustomers.Whilenotallemployeeswillalwayslikeeach
other,theydoneedtosetasidetheirpersonalorevenworkrelateddifferencesto
reachalargergoal.Inmanyinstances,thosewhoarenotconsideredteamplayers
canfacedemotionoreventermination.Ontheotherhand,thosewhoworkwellwith
others often can advance on that aspect alone, with teamwork sometimes even
outweighingperformance.
Commitment
Ethical and behavioral guidelines in the workplace often place a high amount of
importance on dedication. Although possessing the necessary skills is essential, a
strongworkethicandpositiveattitudetowardthejobcancarryyoualongway.Plus,
dedicationisoftenviewedinthebusinessworldascontagious,meaningemployees
whogiveastrongeffortcanofteninspiretheircoworkerstodothesame.
Organizationsthatsupportethicsinitiativesconsistentlyshowmoreproductivityand
employeeretentionthanorganizationsthatconsidercorporateethicsmerelyanissue
ofcompliance.WorkplaceAnswers'EthicsintheWorkplacecoursehelpsemployees
confrontreallifeworkplacebehaviorandfamiliarizesthemwithCodeofConduct
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andethicspolicies.It'strainingdesignedtohelpemployeesunderstandtheirpersonal
obligationsandtheconsequencesofviolations.
Supplier relations
CHAPTER:4ETHICALISSUESATWORKPLACE
4.1MajorEthicalIssuesemployeesfaceintheworkplace
Between 1994 and 2000, the National Business Ethics Survey found
that the number of organizations with formal ethics training had
greatly increased. As more organizations are finding that ethical
training helps business owners run an effective workplace, the
importance of understanding what ethical issues business people
face has increased.
1. Employee Behavior
From large corporations to small businesses, individuals involved in all types of
businessoftenfaceethicalissuesstemmingfromemployeebehavior.Forexample,
whetheranemployeecanspendworktimecheckingpersonalemailaccounts,howa
managerdealswithclaimsofharassmentandtowhatextentamanagercan"groom"a
certain employee for a promotion are all examples of ethical issues regarding
employee behavior. There are legal consequences for some unethical employee
behavior.Forexample,ifasupervisordiscriminatedagainstanemployeebasedon
her gender, religion or ethnicity when making recommendations for a promotion,
legal action could be sought. Small business owners can help to prevent ethical
problemsstemmingfromemployeebehaviorbydraftingaclear,attorneyreviewed
setofstandardsthatdictatebehaviorpoliciesforemployeesatalllevels.
2.EmployeeWorkingConditions
Inadditiontoemployeebehavior,thereareanumberofethicalissuesbusinesspeople
mustconsideraboutemployeeworkingconditions.Forexample,employersmustbe
aware of the safety of their work environment and if they have compensated
employeesforallthetimetheyhaveworked.Themustalsoconsideriftheyhave
requiredanemployeetoworkanunreasonablylongperiodoftimeoriftheyhavehim
doing anunusuallydifficulttask.Justlike there arelegalconsequences forsome
unethicalissuesregardingemployeebehavior,therearealsolegalconsequencesfor
unethicalworkingconditions.Forexample,anemployerwhorequiresanemployeeto
work without pay or who creates an unsafe working environment can face legal
action.
3. Supplier/Customer Relations
Inadditionemployeesandbusinessownersmustconsidertheethicalissuesinvolved
with their relationships between suppliers and customers. Business owners in
particularmustconsiderwhetheritisethicaltodobusinesswithsupplierswhohave
unethicalpractices.Whendealingwithcustomersorclients,businesspeoplemust
ensurethattheyusetheirinformationcorrectly,donotfalselyadvertiseaproductor
service,anddonotintentionallydosubstandardwork.
4. Small Business Ethics
Althoughthereareethicalissueslikediscriminationthatapplytoallareasofbusiness,
eachbusinessareahasitsownethicalconcerns.Forexample,businesspeoplewhoact
asconsultantsmustensuretheyaregivingsoundadvice.Intheareaofsmallbusiness,
somemajorethicalissuesresultfromhiring,firinganddealingwithemployees.For
example,conflictsofinterestmaycauseethicalissuesinsmallbusinesses,especially
iftheyarefamilyrun.Whenpersonalfamilyissuesinterferewithbusinessdecisions,
thisisaconflictofinterestandanethicalconcern.
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Atfirstglance,thisethicaldilemmaisfairlyclear:Itisanabuseofyouremployerto
conductpersonalbusinessoncompanytime.Butthereareshadesofgrayhere.What
ifyourspousecallstotellyouthatyourchildrenareill?IsitOKforyoutoschedulea
doctor'sappointment?Agoodruleofthumbisforanemployeetocheckwithhis
manager or human resources supervisors to clarify what counts as an actionable
offenseinthecompany.
Taking Credit for Others' Work
Employeesoftenworkinteamstocreatemarketingcampaigns,developnewproducts
orfinetuneservices,yetrarelydoeseveryoneinagroupcontributeequallytothe
finalproduct.Ifthreemembersofafivepersonteamdidallthework,dothosethree
membersdemandtoreceivepropercreditwhilepointingoutthattwomembersofthe
teamdidnotpulltheirweight?
Thisisathornyquestion.Ifemployeessingleouttheircoworkersinanegativelight,
itcouldfomentresentment.Thesamethingcouldhappen,however,ifallemployees
acceptequalpraiseeventhoughonlyaselectfewdidtherealwork.Thebestwayto
resolvethisethicaldilemmaistonotletithappen.Teammembersshouldinsistthat
allemployeesperformspecifictaskstohelpcompleteaproject.
Harassing Behavior
Employeesoftendon'tknowwhattodoiftheyseeoneoftheircoworkersharassing
anotheremployee,mentally,sexuallyorphysically.Employeesmayworryfortheir
jobsiftheyattempttoreportasuperiorforharassment.Theymayfretthatthey'llbe
labeledatroublemakeriftheyreportcoworkerswhodisplayinappropriatebehavior
towardotheremployees.
The best way to resolve this ethical dilemma rests with the staff members who
developthecompany'semployeehandbook.Itistheirjobtoincludespecificlanguage
thatspellsoutthatemployeewon'tbepunishedforreportingtheharassingbehavioror
inappropriateactionsoftheircoworkers.
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CHAPTER:
5-
ROLE
OF
HUMAN
RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
HRS ROLE IN CREATING AN ETHICAL WORKPLACE
Aristotle famously counseled that rather than always seek the ideal, a virtuous
person or culture will strive to attain the mean between too much
And too little. Too much moral courage turns into self-righteousness. Too little
moral courage turns into cowardice. Workplaces in which employees seek a
balanced, pragmatic approach to living out their ethical values develop cultures
of character that make ethics practical, attainable and adequate to the complex
challenges of modern work.
Perhaps the most important point for HR professionals to understand is that
good work can only be sustained in an ethical workplace culture. Work that
is of excellent technical quality, that is ethically pursued and socially
responsible, and that employees find engaging and enjoyable exists reliably
only in organizations that pursue a culture of character. understanding of their
duties and obligations toward owners, investors, the community and the
natural environment. Management expresses those beliefs and values in
systems, policies and practices, which are in turn scrutinized for their
adherence to the organizations values.
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Step2
Provideworkplaceethicstrainingtoemployees.Utilizevariedinstructionmethodsto
engage employees in learning how to address and resolve ethical dilemmas.
Experientiallearning,orroleplay,isaneffectivewaytofacilitateworkplaceethics
training. Examples of workplace ethics simulations involve scenarios about the
misappropriationofcompanyfunds,personalvaluesrelatedtoimproperworkplace
relationshipsandtheorganizationscompliancewithregulatorycontrols.
Step3
Designate an ombudsperson in charge of handling employees informal concerns
pertaining to workplace ethics. Consider whether your organization also needs an
ethicshotline,whichisaconfidentialserviceemployeesmaycontactwheneverthey
encounter workplace dilemmas that put them into uncomfortable or threatening
positions.Confidentialhotlinesareaneffectivewaytoassureemployeesanonymity,
which is a concern for employees whose alerts are considered whistleblowing
actions.
Step4
Research federal, state and municipal labor and employment laws pertaining to
whistleblowing.Refrainfrommakingemploymentdecisions,suchasterminationor
suspension,inconnectionwithwhistleblowingoranemployeesrighttoprotected
activityunderwhistleblowinglawsorpublicpolicy.Seeklegaladviceforemployee
reports ofworkplaceethics issuesthatincreaseyourorganizationsliabilityunder
federal,stateormunicipalemploymentlaw.UndertheTexasWhistleblowerAct,for
example,publicsectoremployeesmaybeentitledtodamagesifanemployerengages
inretaliatoryactions basedonanemployeewho,ingoodfaith,filesacomplaint
relatedtoworkplaceethics.TheActgrants"[a]publicemployeewhoclaimsthathis
suspension,termination,orotheradversepersonnelactionwasinretaliationforhis
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goodfaithreportingofviolationsofthelawtherighttosuefordamagesandother
relief."
Step5
Apply your workplace policy consistently when addressing workplace issues and
employeeconcernsaboutworkplaceethics.Usethesamebusinessprinciplesinevery
circumstance, regardless of the perceived seriousness or the level of employees
involved.Communicatethesameexpectationsforallemployeeswhethertheyarein
executivepositionsorfrontlineproductionrolesandapproacheveryissuewith
equalinterpretationofthecompanypolicy.
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Chapter: 7- CONCLUSION
Building an ethical workplace culture requires equal skills in policy-making and
relationship-building, and equal emphasis on procedures and values. Structural
concerns like codes, training and clear criteria matter, but so do storytelling,
mentoring and presiding over an organizations routines and ceremonies.
In an ideal workplace, structures and relationships will work together around
core values that transcend self-interest. Core values will inspire value-creating
efforts as employees feel inspired to do what is right, even when the right
thing is hard to do.
The ethics of our workplace cultures matter because the work itself matters
and requires the cooperation that only positive, virtuous ethics can sustain.
Compliance keeps us out of trouble, but virtuous ethics will create value for
our co-workers and for our organization.
Virtually every employee and manager has some insight into ethics, either into
what ethics is, what being ethical is or looks like, or what being unethical entails.
But it is still worth clarifying what ethics means and what constitutes its basic
features. A clear, shared understanding of workplace ethics is essential for
ethical behavior
In essence, ethics is concerned with what's right or good. Ethics therefore
involves moral choices between right and wrong, and good and bad.
Such choices are mostly determined by values, relevant laws, rules or regulations, the norms or culture of the group (such as, for example, those of an
organisation or team) and, crucially, by the leadership. Understanding these factors
is necessary in order to achieve ethical behaviour or an ethical outcome.
It is important to recognise that ethics does not apply only to oneself it also
applies to others. In the workplace those others are the individual employee as
well as the stakeholders not just the shareholders. How ethics is recognised and
judged can differ. Mostly, ethics is associated with a person's or company's words
and actions for instance, by their decisions or by their behaviour. Bribery and
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CHAPTER:8REFERENCES
1) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/majorethicalissuesbusinesspeopleface
20900.html
2) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/topethicalissuesfacinggeneralbusiness
community25417.html
3) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/commontypesethicalissueswithin
organizations15238.html
4) http://study.com/academy/lesson/whyethicalproblemsoccurin
business.html
5) http://www.iiakm.org/ojakm/articles/2013/volume1_2/OJAKM_Volume1_2pp
4455.pdf
6) http://www.it.iitb.ac.in/~deepak/deepak/courses/eco/pdf/Ethical_Consideratio
ns_in_Business_Decision_Making.pdf
7) http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/articledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=13073
8) http://www.huizenga.nova.edu/Jame/articles/employeemonitoring.cfm
9) http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/05/us/companiesfacingethicalissueas
drugsaretestedoverseas.html
10) http://smallbusiness.chron.com/handleethicalissuesworkplace10157.html
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