In the workplace, ethical behavior is the legal and moral code guiding all employee behavior and culture. Being a successful professional requires more than just wearing a nice suit and tie, of course. Business leaders need to set clear guidelines for ethical behavior in the workplace and must consistently train their employees according to these expectations. You may have no idea where to start and that’s okay. We are here to help!
So without further ado, let’s dive into the Ethical Workplace Behavior Survival Guide: 2021 Edition!
Ethics in the workplace are the concrete principles that a company must establish from startup to corporate giants. Generally speaking, a company will set its minimum standard for ethics and expectations. Those who don’t follow the ethics code on the job are prone to disciplinary action or termination. As with all ethical guidelines, the rules at work consider what is best for all people involved. That includes the employees, the employer, and even the public. Your employee handbook may list certain behavioral expectations but most ingredients to ethics are guided by a person’s moral code.
Ethical behavior in the workplace is crucial for many reasons. Workers and customers feel safe when working with a company if they are aware people are following morally sound instruction. It builds a solid reputation for the business and studies show that 50% of candidates will not work for a company with a bad reputation, even if they are offered a pay increase.
Most professionals won’t remain in business if the public doesn’t feel that the business owner or the company operates ethically. Any company taking credit card or payment information needs to maintain strict privacy policies to get consumer confidence; this includes Banks, financial representatives, and lawyers.
Ethics guidelines will also set the tone of how companies deal with conflict. When there is a customer complaint, an ethical company can always go to the employee handbook and follow established and fair procedures.
Although there are many examples, ethics starts with your company’s money management and privacy policies. You want workers who handle money and customer transactions to do so honestly.
Your employees pocketing some change out of the register is clearly not an example of acting ethically, or lawfully for that matter and should be dealt with accordingly.
An ethically balanced employee won’t close the store and lock up two minutes early because they have evening plans. This employee will not stroll into work late every day or take long lunch breaks.
Ethical communication is another area that your staff needs to be trained on. An employee who is upset with a client or co-worker must never break confidentiality and spread or forward an email or gossip. Most employees will follow the lead of managers if there are no standards set.
Ethics extends far beyond issues of right or wrong morality. A conscientious employee is concerned about doing his or her duties to the best of one’s ability.
Well, there you have it! We have outlined what ethical behavior means and why it is important in the workplace. Moving forward, you now have examples and the basics to define ethics and put them in place in your business or organization.
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