What if.....

“I know Jen smokes right beside the propane tank but she always throws her butts far from the tank. I know that it will not cause any harm. Plus she got me this part-time job; if I say something she will lose her job”

Tom is really funny and lively. Without him work is so boring but you know last night he was out with his guys and had little too much to drink. He called in sick today …this is not the first time he has done that, he does it every so often and gets away with it, but you know he is a cool guy I don’t think everyone needs to know what he does in his personal life.

Have you ever met situations where you had to make decisions about ethical behavior at work? If you caught your colleague smoking in a non-smoking area at work would you report him or not? What if they were your best friend as well? If someone called in sick and yet they were just out partying until late last night and decided not to come in to work, if they shared this with you how will you handle that situation? What would you say or what would you do? Many of us fail to make ethical decisions at work due to our social conflict of interest.

Difference between right and wrong

Evaluating business ethics at the workplace may seem insignificant or invisible when they are at a smaller scale, however a visibly prominent case, such as Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s case, is not very different. This incident was controversial but public opinion was that his business ethics were not on par. The question remains, is it much easier to check an unethical code of conduct since it lies outside the boundaries of personal comfort and instances?  And would it be precise to say that day-to-day personal unethical work situations are overlooked until they cause irreversible damage which take a monstrous form and haunt our personal comfort.  Is this similar to the day-to-day situations discussed earlier or is it diverse and why? I leave the case in your hands. 

You can read the article about Mayor Rob Ford here.

Undercover Boss takes the lead ...

Many large companies have now caught on to the rapidly growing problem of misconduct at work and have decided to make them public.  Recognizing visible problems and holding worthy employees above the rest in addition to appreciating their commitment have helped build stronger organizations. These amendments have given many firms an unbeatable edge on and beyond their competitors. Not only have employers recognized changes within the employees at work, but recognizing shortcomings within themselves has steered them towards self improvement resulting in great success.  Let me tell you that one of the most exciting reality TV programs, Undercover Bosses, has opened up new avenues for businesses and shifted the tunnel vision towards the bigger picture.  Watch the clip from the Undercover Boss Canada "Wild Wing" Episode that aired on W Network:

Description of Ethics

What is the definition of Ethics? In Wikipedia Ethics is known as “moral philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. In philosophy, ethics studies the moral behavior in humans, and how one should act.” Ethics is then further classified into four areas of study which you may read on more at Wikipedia. However, business ethics is completely different. It is things that would be morally incorrect in conducting the business and that may cause obstacles and harm to the business. For example, at Hooters women are supposed to dress in an appealing manner with a certain level of self-exposure to attract clients and promote the business, but on the other hand the women working in a professional law firm can harm the reputation of the business if they were to follow the uniform attire of Hooters. So as you can see, ethics may be viewed in a different way depending on the company and business ethics completely differ from personal ethics.

Code of Conduct

Every company has different code of conduct for business and they are a set of rules and regulations that are put together for the betterment of the company and its employees.  As part of the orientation program many companies highlight these aspects by calling them policies and procedures. Many times employees take them for granted and sign on the dotted line at the last page thinking their job is done but there is obviously much more to that.  Reading and learning about these guidelines can help employees understand the culture, expectations and atmosphere of a company.  For example, The Canada Post Code of Conduct is provided for your review.  Look at the policies and procedures here and compare your company against this to understand the differences and similarities.