In today’s difficult business environment, it can be easy to overlook ethical dilemmas in the workplace out of sheer exasperation. But when a company makes the effort to treat employees in a fair and consistent manner, it can reap the benefits of having employees who internalize the company’s high ethical values as their own.
Unethical behavior isn’t just black and white. There are many shades of gray, and there may be an entire spectrum of unethical behaviors plaguing your workplace. Without ethical behavior, it’s much too easy for the slide down the slippery slope to begin.
To encourage ethical behavior in the workplace, it’s important to create a tangible definition of what ethical behavior is and what it is not. With mergers, transfers and new hires, there is no way to know what prior standard of ethical behavior was expected. Give some time and thought into how the company values are communicated to each and every employee.
The Ethics & Compliance Initiative’s 2018 report found that “Employees who agree that their managers and supervisors talk about the importance of ethics are almost 12 times more likely to believe that their organization encourages them to speak up.”
No matter how honest you believe your staff to be, there is always the chance that someone will be tempted to push the limits of ethical behavior. However, when you embed a check-and-balance arrangement into critical procedures, the odds of anyone doing so diminish.
If an employee does manage to break your trust by acting unethically after being informed of the company’s code of behavior, carry through with the consequences. If instead an employee is reprimanded for an unethical action, employees will know that your company is serious about upholding its ethical commitments.
Don’t forget to show appreciation for those who exemplify the values your company strives to live by. One of the best ways to discourage unethical behavior is to lead by example.
Ensure there is a written code of conduct for all employees that everyone, from the top down, is aware of. Have a company mission statement that specifically mentions the priority placed on ethical behavior and living the stated values.
Ethics training can be a valuable addition to the orientation presentation. In this forum, proper attention can be given to the company’s stance on nondisclosure of proprietary information, the posting of negative comments on social media and even on the particulars of the sexual harassment and interdepartmental dating policies.
The bottom line is that unethical behavior can and will eventually undo any company or any individual. It’s worth the time and effort to create an ethical workplace for everyone.
This article has previously been featured on Forbes