Addressing Ethical Conflicts at Work

It may not cross your mind, as you grab a note pad and pen from your desk and head for home at night, that some would see your actions as stealing. But what about the employee who has some down-time in their work day and decides to play games on their computer or calls a loved one long-distance on the company phone line? Is that stealing?

No one questions when companies like Enron or WorldCom crash and burn due to the unethical actions of their executive team that what took place was wrong - very wrong. But many times, it's not as clear cut when minor occurrences take place because we so often rationalize it with "they don't pay me enough" or "they can afford it" or "I'm doing work at home."

Fraud, embezzlement, income tax evasion, insider trading, employee stealing: all illegal and unethical. But are there other inappropriate behaviors in the work environment that may be considered unethical?

Choosing Between Right and Wrong

The fact is that when employees take extended lunches or peek at confidential information that is not intended for their eyes, their behavior is not only inappropriate, it is unethical. Ethics is about making the socially responsible, morally right choice, even if it is not always the most rewarding - for the individual or the company.

Yet, most people don't think about how what happens at work affects us in other aspects of our lives. How businesses operate impacts our communities, the products and services we use, the well-being of our families as well as our economic security. Most companies don't consider the ethical impact of their marketing and sales strategies. They may want to avoid the negative consequences of unethical behavior such as bad publicity or legal expenses, but they don't necessarily consider the positive consequences of ethical behavior, things like positive brand image, goodwill and customer loyalty.

And many of us fail to realize just how ethics plays a role in so many of the decisions we make at work each day. Consider this: when a manager is asked to lay off someone on her staff, how does she choose someone fairly and honestly and then convey the news? When sales representatives try to close a sale knowing that it means the difference between a personal and company profit, how do they balance the customer's interests with the company's interests? When you show disloyalty by talking negatively about your employer, are you being unethical?

According to dictionary.com, ethical means: "Equitable, fair, and just dealing with people that, although pragmatically flexible according to the situation and times, conforms to self-imposed high standards of public conduct."

Ethics Begins at the Top

A 2007 Deloitte & Touche USA Ethics & Workplace study shows there is a strong relationship between ethics and work-life balance. In fact 91 percent of respondents stated they believe "workers are more likely to behave ethically at work when they have a work-life balance."

What respondents also believe is that leadership counts. Business leaders "first have to provide an environment that is conducive to ethical behavior. Management and leadership have a huge responsibility in setting examples for their organizations and living the values they preach if they want to sustain a culture of ethics."

In fact, when asked to identify the top factors for promoting an ethical workplace,

77 percent cited either the behavior of management or of direct supervisors, as setting the tone for ethical behavior. Specifically, the top three ranked factors to promoting an ethical workplace are management behavior (42 percent), direct supervisors (36 percent), and positive reinforcement for ethical behavior (30 percent).

Most (80 percent) felt that people make unethical decisions at work because they lack personal integrity. The second most frequently cited reason at 60 percent was job dissatisfaction. However, they also cited financial rewards (44 percent), pressure to meet goals (41 percent), and ignorance of code of conduct (39 percent). And a whopping 87 percent felt that a company's values can promote an ethical workplace environment.

The truth is this: your ethical code is a personal choice. It's about finding your moral compass and following it regardless of the outcome. And while it may often be difficult to do, it's about setting and following your own code of standards.