Creating and sustaining ethics in the workplace creates a positive culture for managers and employees, as well as a successful business.
The way a company operates and is perceived by both the public and competitors often comes down to the workplace ethics. A truly ethical workplace should model ethical behavior from the top down, and from the inside out. Workplace ethics are reflected in how organisations treat their suppliers and customers, how they interact with others, how they perform their tasks, and how they communicate both internally and externally.
All workplace cultures are not created equal. Some are more ethical than others. The first step to improving a culture is to assess its current state. Ethical cultures are measured by looking at three factors: ethical content, how well ethics are put into practice in the organization’s everyday operations and how well each individual adheres to ethical behaviors.
Many modern organisations are today faced with numerous challenges such as illegal and unethical business practices in a number of business transactions. Most organisations have come up with codes of ethics in dealing with ethical issues challenging them. Code of ethics is the set of moral principles used by an organisation to steer the conduct of the organisation, and employees in all their business activities both internally and externally.
Workplace ethics, also referred to as business ethics, describes the ethical dimensions of organisations and company activities. The term encompasses nearly every issue that may arise in a business, including production, distribution, marketing, sale, and consumption of the goods and services being offered.
Ethics are the guiding principles that determine how employees conduct themselves in the workplace. While ethics and workplace behavior have always been at the forefront of organisational efforts, there are still issues that occur today regarding ethical lapses in corporate conduct and judgment.
An entrepreneur and business management expert, Dr Timi Olubiyi noted that “The challenge of ethical behavior must be met by organisations if they are truly concerned about survival uprightness, integrity, and competitiveness. What is needed in today’s complicated times is for more organization to step forward and operate with strong, positive and ethical cultures.”
He pointed out that organisations must ensure that their employees know how to deal with ethical issues in their everyday work lives. “As a result, when the ethical climate is clear and positive, everyone will know what is expected of him or her when the inevitable ethical dilemmas occur. This will definitely give employees the confidence to be on the lookout for unwanted unethical behavior and act with the understanding that what they are doing is correct and will be supported by top management of the organisation,” he explained.
Promoting Workplace Ethics
Be a role model and be visible; Employees look at top managers to understand what behavior is acceptable. Senior management sets the tone for ethics in the workplace.
Communicate Ethical Expectations
An organisational code of ethics can reduce ethical ambiguities. The code of ethics should state the organisation’s primary values and the ethical rules that employees are expected to follow. Managers should remember that a code of ethics is worthless if leaders fail to model ethical behaviors.
Offer Ethics Training
Managers should set up seminars, workshops and similar programs to promote ethics in the workplace. Training sessions reinforce the organisation’s standards of conduct, to clarify what practices are and are not permissible, and to address possible ethical dilemmas.
Visibly Reward Ethical Acts and Punish Unethical Ones
Performance appraisals of managers should include evaluations of how actions measure up against the organisation’s code of ethics. Appraisals need to include how managers achieve these goals, as well as the goals themselves.
Provide Protective Mechanisms; The organisation needs to provide formal mechanisms that allow employees to discuss ethical dilemmas and report unethical behavior without fear of reprimand. This could include developing roles for ethical counselors, ombudsmen or ethical officers.
Enhancing the Workplace
A better workplace requires leaders to model behavior in every aspect of their role. In your career, the ability to demonstrate leadership with a sound ethical basis is essential to your success for any role.
Meanwhile, businesses with strong workplace ethics add value to the organisation and support an environment where employees feel safe and valued. Leaders can help create an ethical workplace culture that benefits shareholders, the organisation and people in the company.
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