Most of the employers would say that good workplace ethics are very important with in the organization. But many might have a hard time to how they plan to create and sustain good workplace ethics. Workplace ethics are codes of conduct that influence the development of an ethical culture within the organization or workplace. Workplace ethics inspire communication between employees, allow for respect to be extended to each person within the organization, and promote customer relationships that are based on honesty and integrity.
a. Types of workplace ethics:
Workplace ethics are moral guidelines specific to a business environment and they involve everything from honesty with customers to fair hiring practices to the treatment of fellow employees. According to Cornelius von Baeyer, past chair person of the Ethics Practitioners Association of Canada, the workplace ethics types are;
- Virtue: It is related to the character of an individual.
- Utilitarian: It is related to acting in the best interest of the most people.
- Duty: It is related to the golden rule.
- Discourse: It involves reaching conclusions based on the strength of an argument, instead of bribes, other forms of influence, or its source.
b. Misconceptions:
One popular workplace ethic is that, an organization with morally sound members is in compliance with legal standards. However, all employees can act with in the law and still break ethical standards, such as over or under emphasizing information and treat others with a lack of respect and courtesy. It is difficult thing in an organization to realize the differences between legal compliance and ethics. According to the experts, when an organization has not compiled with laws or regulations, causes can be traced back to repeated breaches of ethics norms that have gone unnoticed or undisciplined.
c. Training:
Training teaches employees sensitivity to ethical issues; how to identify the potential conflicts and how to solve the problems by following company policy. Effective training is helpful to the employees to follow the company’s laws and regulations. Ineffective training programs expect employees to follow common sense rules to resolve conflicts, or scare employees by expecting them to decipher complicated legal or philosophical guidelines on their own, according to the company. Training should also be refreshed periodically to address new issues raised by technology or a changing workforce.
d. Benefits:
Following ethics in an workplace will give benefits to the organization. First and main benefit is keeping an organization out of legal trouble. And companies who have established an ethical workplace environment enjoy an advantage in recruiting and retaining top performers, a good reputation, and greater trust among employees. Providing ethics training helps employees resolve difficult moral situations on their own. Conclusions reached with training and employer guidance usually addresses the issue successfully, but also serve the organization’s best interest.
For an organization to be successful, it is very important that there are good workplace ethics being followed in the organization. Hence, it is very much essential for every employee and employer to be aware of the good workplace ethics.
