Introduction
Every workplace I governed by certain work ethics. Although some are generally acceptable in all workplaces, some vary with the work environment. While booking a hotel reservation using the company’s internet connection may be okay in one company, it could be wrong in another. Employees tend to think ethical concerns are meant to protect them against exploitation by the employees, yet they also exploit the employer. When they see a dentist during work hours, they are going against the expectations of the workplace. Work ethics is also in the small details that are likely to be assumed. It is not about the major sexual harassment scandal the manager had or the looting of millions by the CEO. It is the little interactions that are likely to slip between the fingers.
Case study
In my workplace, there was a major project that involved the whole company. The top management was implementing a new data management system that required all members to provide data on family details, education, and income. This was a massive task for the Human resource management and information technology department. They were required to work in teams of three to ensure the details of each employee were accurate. The project was in two phases since the company has three branches. When the head office was done, an assessment was to be carried out by the audit team to determine if it was worth the investment. However, it was found that the team members do not cooperate, and others were riding on other’s success. The data was also being used by some employees to blackmail others. Although the process was supposed to be stopped due to several loopholes, it continued because some feel officials bribed and threatened the audit team to forge the analysis results, since that was an avenue to siphon money from the company. On questioning, the audit team claimed that they preferred to authorize the process since they did not prefer to work with the individuals who found the system faulty since they were incompetent on issues of technology.
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Taking Credit for Others' Work
When someone has spent six hours working on a company presentation, they feel tired but accomplished. They will not think about being appreciated in any special way since that is part of their job. However, the case could be different when the same individual puts in extra effort and works late to design a sculpture award for a visitor. Suppose this person works in the finance department but has carving skills. This is out of their job description, but they do it out of passion and do not get paid. During the presentation, the customer service head is tasked with presenting the award and gets complicated for how beautiful it is. It is only courteous to accept the compliment, but going ahead to say how carefully they designed and customized it is unethical. The same happens when working in a team. If some members do not contribute, it is wrong to insist on being included in the appreciation section when they did not contribute to make the work a success. The team leader must, therefore, ensure the division of roles is well done so that all members contribute equally.
Unethical Leadership
A leader determines how a workplace functions since they are the ultimate controller. The decisions and choices they make determine how the business will do. In a case where a leader is unethical, it becomes impossible to control the ethics of team members (Johnson, 2017). If the leader harasses the juniors, other employees will not worry about being reported or action taken for such offenses. The cases are not even reported since employees do not have faith in the managers. When managers accept inappropriate gifts from suppliers and other external parties in return for business favors, it becomes corruption. This creates a toxic workplace culture that affects even employees. If the manager himself can manipulate the books of record and pay auditors to avoid being caught, then the rest of the employees do that.
Technology and Privacy Concerns
Technology has made access to information easy but has compromised the safety of people’s data. Employers and employees can easily access the contacts, emails and personal details of fellow employees. The protection of personal information is not guaranteed in the hands of the employer (Brusoni, & Vaccaro, 2017). In a case where an employee quits a job, and the employer is not satisfied, the employer may seek to use the information to tarnish the image of their former employee. Whether they do it openly or using pseudo accounts, it is still unethical. Fellow employees can also interfere with company data and use it to stalk or threaten others.
Racial bias
Racism has been a concern in workplaces for the longest time. Dominelli, (2017), notes that although racial comments may not be spoken directly, actions that treat races differently will. Showing preference regarding whom one prefers to work with over others or favoritism from the leaders is racial discrimination. The belief that a particular race is better at doing certain stuff over another is also racism, which hurts general employee motivation.
Conclusion
Work ethics may vary from one company to another, but all aim at working the workplace safer, to ensure the system is fair to both the employer and employee.
References
Brusoni, S., & Vaccaro, A. (2017). Ethics, technology, and organizational innovation. Journal of Business Ethics , 143 (2), 223-226.
Dominelli, L. (2017). Anti-racist social work . Macmillan International Higher Education.
Johnson, C. E. (2017). Meeting the ethical challenges of leadership: Casting light or shadow . Sage Publications.
