You are contacted by an executive recruiter and told about another job with an excellent company that has an immediate need. You occupy a key position in your present company, and you are presently involved with a major long-term project (it will take at least a month to complete) that will be seriously damaged and may have to be abandoned …
Business Case #5: Everybody’s Doing It
You are a new employee. After a few weeks, you discover that many people in your department take company supplies, make personal calls on company phones and pad expense reports. Your supervisor is one of the persons involved and he claims that the company treats such minor acts as a kind of fringe benefit to make up for low salaries. …
13 Truths for HR Professionals
Everyone rationalizes — including you. There are lots of things you don’t know and lots of people who hope you don’t find out. (The most dangerous problems are the ones you don’t know about). Complacency and overconfidence about ethics is a major vulnerability. (Everyone says it can’t happen here until it does). There’s never just one bad employee – there’s …
Honesty in Conduct
Honesty is the bedrock of trust and trustworthiness. The moral command to be honest requires us to speak and act only in ways that engender and justify trust. That seems simple enough. But honesty is a broader concept than some realize. An honest person tells the truth, is sincere, doesn’t deceive, mislead, act devious or tricky, doesn’t betray a trust, …
Including the Six Pillars of Character in Your Company’s Ethics Code
An ethical code of conduct must arise naturally from the company’s stated values and should provide detailed guidance for handling ethical challenges. General principles without specific provisions risk being perceived by employees as just window dressing and may breed cynicism rather than commitment. Though provisions must be specific and clear, an ethics code should cover a lot of ground. The …