Question

How would you respond to this post?

When I think about ethical issues and how it can impact an organization the first thing that comes to my mind is how anyone can even work in an environment where unethical operations are taking place. The different unethical practices individuals can experience can be seen when upper management chooses to engage in dishonesty, low standards, micromanaging, inequality and lack of engagement with their employees. If they are doing so with them, the chances are their business was also built on treating their clients with that same unethical behavior.

Ethical behavior in the corporate world drives the success of companies. When employers are valued, enjoy what they do, and practice good ethical morale, good things happen. In fact, if leaders want to lower the frequency of business failure, the expected ethical behavior must begin with them.

My first job at 16 years old was at a fast food restaurant that did not necessarily pay the big bucks. I always smelled like food and would deal with customers all day who were unhappy with the onions on their taco that they forgot to ask for without. It was a hard, draining job but the leadership and the individuals I worked alongside made me look forward to any shift that I had. Customer services and satisfaction were at the core of their business, yet never at the cost of their employees. They knew how to treat their employees and that same energy was given to their customers.

Fast forward to a few years down the road when I got my first job post college graduation. My experience at a Law Firm led me to actually pursue a different career. Growing up, I originally wanted to be an attorney, therefore, I was studying for the LSAT and working at this Immigration Law Firm to gain more experience and exposure. The job was great, but the Attorneys were a bit draining. They did not treat their employers with fairness, they did not celebrate small victories, nor did they practice the best ethical behavior with the people they saw. Although the job I was doing was in the field that I enjoyed the most, I did not want to wake up every day excited to be there. I saw the environment of that Law Firm and even decided to pursue something a bit different. I, along with the other employees often felt pressured, yelled at for no reason, and unacknowledged. I truly believe that the pressure and lack of encouragement and attentiveness was what led most of their interns and employees to resign.

Overall, ethical behavior should be at the core of a business. It is essential to succeed, and if they can treat their employees with fairness and deliver that same fairness in their products and services consistently, then the bottom-line profitability will follow. Just look at Wells Fargo, and all the business that was lost after their unethical practices were revealed to the world. It is something that to this day is still costing them bottom line production.

Answer 1

Ethical behaviour at workplace has become the need of the hour. It has almost become impossible for any organization to be successful with unethical behaviour. Its high time that organizations must take measures to stop unethical behaviour.

Business ethics are the values, responsibilities and conduct expectations from an organisation. A business with high corporate ethics has more probability for being successful. The organization should provide their employees with few guidelines for executing ethical behaviour within the organisation

An open and honest communication is the key to create an ethical business.

The guidance the organisation needs to provide their employees are:

1. Each expectation from the employee must be clearly communicated. To best communicate all the expectations, a written form of the policies and regulations of business conduct must be maintained.

2. Giving efficient training about the code of business ethics to every employee in the organisation.

3. While following the ethical standards put forward by the company, there arises a lot of conflicts and challenges. An advisory team must be incorporated to design proper advises.

4. To check the performance of ethical issues a disciplinary team is formed.

5. Integrate ethics management with other management practices.

6. Encourage employees to address any issues if there are any.

7. Punishing the violators of ethical standards.

All the ethical standards must be followed by the employees of all levels. The higher management should follow and then enforce the lower level to follow these ethics as the lower level consider them as the role models. The persons who violate the ethical standards should face the required repercussions.