Workplace Ethics
Workplace Ethics
Organizations typically hire people of different ages, gender, educational backgrounds and ideologies. These differences are bound to cause conflicts unless appropriate policies and action plans are put in place to guide and govern conduct within the workplace. This is the reason why ethics is considered a very vital concept in every organization. Ethics may be viewed as the moral principles as well as principles that guide social behavior (Miller & Hollowell, 2018). It focuses on upholding morality and ensuring that people within a given social setting exhibit appropriate behavior at all times. Maintaining workplace ethics is a primary responsibility of every manager. According to Miller and Jentz (2008), an ethical environment in workplaces is facilitated by factors such as policy statements, effective communication, and written codes of conduct. Whatever the tool or approach that managers use, upholding workplace ethics is essential to effective functioning in organizations. The aim of this paper is to underscore the importance of maintaining workplace ethics.
Organizational ethics help to foster healthy relationships among the different stakeholders, which in turn makes it easy for the organization to attain its goals and objectives. Ventimiglio (2015) describes workplace ethics as an integral element in enhancing teamwork together with productivity among employees. Having said that ethics are the moral principles guiding behavior, it follows that having a code of ethics or clearly-stated policy statement provides clarity to employees on how they should relate with one another, customers and supervisors. In the same way, managers are guided on how they ought to treat employees and suppliers (Miller & Jentz, 2008). This clarity plays a big part in avoiding frosty relationships between stakeholders. In the words of Ventimiglio (2015), workplace ethics helps to create alignment between workers’ personal values and organizational values. Consequently, the organization is in a better position to pursue its mission without incurring unnecessary costs or wasting a lot of time.
Workplace ethics also helps to develop and maintain a positive organizational culture. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, a common cause of conflict in organization is ideological differences. Where a clear policy statement or a written ethics code is in place, these conflicts will greatly be minimized in the sense that there will be clear guidelines on the need to respect each other’s beliefs and values (Sharma & Bhal, 2004). As a result, there is a sense of protection against employees, which in turn improves the morale of organizational members. For example, organizations in which there are firm anti-discriminatory rules, equal growth opportunities, and open-door policies have been established to be more productive because of high job satisfaction (Leonard, 2019). In other words, it is essential for managers to remain focused on ensuring that ethics is maintained in order to foster organizational loyalty together with productivity.
Companies that value and adhere to workplace ethics enjoy enhanced consumer confidence. Companies that make and adhere to ethical choices command greater respect among the public as compared to those that do not (Ventimiglio, 2015). One of the factors that have been identified as a huge threat to brand image or the reputation of organizations is unethical practice within firms. Leonard (2019) states that, a few negative online reviews can cause loss of consumer confidence within a very short time. Failure to honor agreements or promises to customers as well as failing to address customer grievances effectively can cause consumers to lose their trust in a service provider. For this reason, workplace ethics should focus on training employees and managers alike on the most effective ways of dealing with customers. More precisely, organizations require an ethical code outlining the values that will guide members in their interactions and transactions with customers.
Ethical practice within an organization prevents it from incurring unnecessary financial liabilities. It goes without saying that loss of consumer confidence automatically translates to significant decline in sales. In the event that a large number of customers lose faith in a given firm, it is certain that the organization will face serious financial liabilities as it will not be able to make adequate sales to fund its operations. In addition to this, there are numerous cases of companies that have fined heavily for engaging in unethical practices (Leonard, 2019). The conclusion that can be made from this is that workplace ethics plays an instrumental role in sparing companies from needless fiscal liabilities. Supporting the idea that workplace ethics reduces an organization’s financial liabilities, Ventimiglio (2015) posits that an ethical code keeps employees conscious against misusing their employer’s assets. For instance, people working in companies whose ethical culture is strong perfectly understand the value of respecting company property.
Lastly, workplace ethics aids decision-making processes. Research has shown that workplace ethics acts as a guide to managers when they are faced by turbulent times (Ventimiglio, 2015). This is because an ethical culture makes organizations appear more transparent and accountable. Subsequently, it is easier to introduce change and obtain support from employees when the need arises.
In conclusion, every organization must strive to have a strong ethical culture that outlines what is acceptable as far as employee and manager’s conduct is concerned. Workplace ethics has many benefits to firms, including boosting customer confidence, easing decision-making processes, improving productivity, and guarding against unwanted financial liabilities.
References
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Leonard, K. (2019). The importance of ethics in organizations. Retrieved from << https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-ethics-organizations-20925.html>>
Miller, R. L. R., & Hollowell, W. E. (2018). Business law: Text & exercises. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Miller, R. L. R., & Jentz, G. A. (2008). Business law today: The essentials: text & summarized cases–e-commerce, legal, ethical, and international environment. Australia: Thomson/South-Western West.
Sharma, P., & Bhal, K. T. (2004). Managerial Ethics: Dilemmas and Decision Making. New Delhi: SAGE India.
Ventimiglio, L. (2015). The benefits & importance of ethics in the workplace. Available at << https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/benefits-importance-ethics-workplace-larry-ventimiglio>>
