Ethics in the Workplace

Ethics in the Workplace

Anna Quindlen said, "If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all." Ethics is defined in the text as the rules or principles that defined right and wrong conduct. Ethics are about making decisions that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you but are the “correct” decisions to make. “Do unto others as you would have done to you,” the most famous of the golden rules. It is not just catchy phrase; they are words of wisdom that any productive member of society should live by.

ENRON is the most infamous example of where any since of ethics were no where to be found. This case is a classic example of a couple of things: First, the actions displayed by the CEO’s of ENRON are how not to use a since ethics in any way, shape or form. Second, their actions painted a harsh and pragmatic picture of what can happen when ethics are completely neglected. Had any sort of ethics been considered in the first place by the leaders, there would not have been a scandal.

Ethics are supposed to improve our lives, invoking good feelings of a job well done. Perhaps the reason ethics has been such a sore subject is because they are so often poorly used. What about using your gut feeling? Why is being an “adult” no longer viewed as knowing the difference between right and wrong?

Thankfully for us, ethics are making a comeback, in what seems to be just in the nick of time. More corporations and business people are realizing that ethics shouldn’t be left at the workplace door. Ethics have just as much a place in the workplace as they do in private. There shouldn’t be separate sets of ethical rules for your personal life and your work life.

Most companies now are incorporating ethics into their employee training, going hand-in-hand with business. As employees and CEO’s alike begin to understand what ethics are about, the businesses will become more successful. Not only will society take note of the ethical nature of a creditable business but so will the consumers.

The Ethics Resource Center's 2007 National Business Ethics Survey is a private, nonprofit organization whose research and support focus on the development of high ethical standards and practices. Interviews with almost 2,000 employees at U.S. public and private companies of all sizes for the NBES show disturbing shares of workers witnessing ethical misconduct at work, who are tending not to report what they see. Conflicts of interest, offensive behavior and deceitfulness pose the majority of rigorous ethics risks to companies today. The measurable lack of progress in business ethics should signal a need for company management. Over the past year, more than half, approximately 56 percent, of employees surveyed had individually observed violations of company ethics standards, policy, or the law. Many saw multiple violations. More than two of five employees who witnessed transgression did not report it. According to ERC President Patricia Harned, Ph.D, "There is a strong sense of futility and fear among employees when it comes to reporting ethical misconduct, and that increases the danger to business. More than half of the employees who witnessed but did not report misconduct believed that reporting would not lead to corrective action. More than a third of non-reporters feared retaliation from at least one source; but our research shows that having a strong ethical culture virtually eliminates retaliation." "Employees at all levels have not increased their 'ethical courage' in recent years," Dr. Harned said. "The rate of observed misconduct has crept back above where it was in 2000. And employees' willingness to report misconduct has not improved, either." "The good news is that the rate of misconduct is cut by three-fourths at companies with strong ethical cultures, and reporting is doubled at companies with comprehensive business ethics programs," said Dr. Harned. The ERC helps organizations design and measure the strength of their culture and the usefulness of ethics programs. The study found less than 40 percent of employees are aware of ample business ethics and conformity programs at their companies. The programs are largely driven by legal and regulatory compliance, and designed in response to past mistakes. The NBES also found most employees choose to report misconduct to a person, particularly someone with whom they already have a rapport, rather than to a company "hotline." Only 3 percent of wrongdoing reports were made to company hotlines.

The ERC suggests that many nonprofit executives are seeing value added opportunity in actively promoting ethics within their organizations. This is a list of prospective benefits linked to an effective ethics program:

• Not only recruiting, but actually retaining top-quality people;

• Encouraging a more gratifying and fruitful working atmosphere;

• Structuring and supporting your association’s creditable character within the communities in which you operate;

• Preserve the trust of members to ensure continued self-regulation;

• Legitimizing open discussion of ethical issues;

• Providing ethical guidance and resources for employees prior to making difficult decisions; and

• Aligning the work efforts of staff with the association’s broader mission and vision.

Many university curriculums are now heavily applying the teaching of Ethics and for good reason. Young minds will take this information into the workforce and understand that ethics need to be applied there as well as in the private sector. Corporations will be able to avoid embarrassing scandals that are presented all over national news. Small business will be able to keep and attract more clients and customers. Negotiations between businesses could be accomplished with more consideration