Setting up an ethical workplace culture is more involved than drafting a values statement, setting policy or training programs ensure employees and vendors are knowledgeable about the rules. Ethical workplace cultures are ones that make it far easier to do the right thing and much harder to do the wrong thing. Unfortunately, the problem is many business cultures make it …
Six Reasons to Be Ethical in Business
Why be ethical? It’s the smart thing to do. And it’s the right thing to do. Competitive edge – People prefer to work with those they can trust. Credibility – People believe you when they know you are honest and will keep your promises. Efficiency – Trust makes decision making faster and more economical. Morale – People feel better about …
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 …
Decision Making Models: Consequentialism / Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism holds that we should judge the merit of an act by its foreseeable consequences. Actions are good when they produce benefit or prevent harm. There are two divisions: Act Utilitarianism – The ethical merit of an act is judged by the immediate and direct consequences of the action. Rule Utilitarianism – The ethical merit of an act is judged …
Decision-Making Models: The Golden Rule
This most basic and useful ethical theory, sometimes called the “Rule of Reciprocity,” has a long history: Confucius (500 B.C.): “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” Aristotle (325 B.C.): “We should behave to others as we wish them to behave to us.” From the Mahabharata (200 B.C.): “Do nothing to thy neighbor which …
Unethical Behavior Worsens Productivity
“Nobody . . . should have any doubts of the linkages between poor ethics in the workplace and low productivity . . . When workers don’t trust each other and their supervisors, then morale is low, stress is high and output is undermined.” – Kenneth C. Frazier (2003 National Business Ethics Survey) Consider: Companies without a code of ethics do …