Workplace Ethics is a subject that we have all heard of. In fact,
subject of Ethics in general is something that most people are familiar with. And, what is commonly understood about ethics is there are ethics and then there are workplace ethics. What most people don’t realize, however, is that there is no such thing as workplace ethics; ethics are same, (or, should be) whether in workplace or in personal life.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Ethics are about making choices that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you but are “right” choices to make. They are choices that are examples of “model citizens” and examples of golden rules. We’ve all heard golden rules: Don’t hurt, don’t steal, don’t lie, or one of most famous: “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” These are not just catchy phrases; these are words of wisdom that any productive member of society should strive to live by.
In our personal lives, most people try to do exactly that. Ethics are thought of by many people as something that is related to private side of life and not to business side. In many businesses, having ethics is frowned upon or thought of as a negative subject. This is because business is usually about doing what’s best for number one, not about what’s really right thing to do. You probably are already feeling uneasy just reading this.
A GOOD EXAMPLE
Take ENRON, for example. Were actions of ENRON’s CEO’s a good example of ethics? No. But, what they WERE was a CLASSIC example of was two things: One, those actions displayed how ethics were not used in any way. Two, their actions painted a grim and realistic picture of what can happen when ethics are neglected. Had ethics been considered in first place by leaders of company, there would have been no scandal. If ethics were used on a daily basis in every company, there would never be scandals.
Martha Stewart comes to mind when speaking of ethics. Again, there is a feeling of uneasiness when dealing with this topic. But, why is it like that? Ethics are supposed to improve our lives and invoke good feelings. Perhaps reason ethics is such a sore subject is because they are so often poorly used, if used at all.
A NEW WAY
Ethics are making a comeback. To begin with, more and more corporations and businessmen and woman are now realizing that ethics aren’t checked at door when entering workplace. Ethics have every bit as much a place in public as they do private. How is it there should be separate sets of ethics, depending upon whether it is your personal life or your work life? The answer is that there shouldn’t be a separate set and in light of recent events that we see on our television sets as of late, more and more companies are realizing this fact.
