November 18, 2014
Business ethics basically consists of all the choices that people make while in a business environment. The factors which influence ethics can include: personal beliefs, environmental factors (like schools, friends, families, religious organizations) among others. All businesses need a professional code-of ethics. Without the ethics, employees/staff do not have a set policy-for interpreting values which are not always clear. It is in a business’ best interest to always have a code of ethics instead of leaving business ethical decisions up-to employees’ discretion.
Ethics usually develop via the company policies, most of which were initially created because of unethical situations and manner of conduct at the work place. Management needs to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the business’ professional code of ethics-for accuracy pertaining to a company’s needs. The management team typically sees employees who follow the company’s code-of ethics as assets to the company.
Workplace ethics normally set rules of conduct for every employee at the business. A set of moral-expectations applies to each and every one from the hourly employees all the way up to the upper management. The set of rules will provide detailed information on exactly what’s expected from each and everyone during workdays and it always makes it clear whenever someone violates an ethical code & should be held solely responsible for his/her actions.
Workplace ethics help in leveling the play field whenever it comes to the employees conduct. If each and every one knows exactly what type of behavior is considered-acceptable and what’s considered unacceptable, they will be able to point-out whenever a team member strays from the core moral obligation. The ethics policy which is adopted by the business ensures that all the employees are treated equally & with dignity. This gives them the right to speak-up whenever they feel that they’ve been mistreated.
Having a set-of ethical standards which are obvious to all, and are easily recognized by customers and outsiders, makes a business’ reputation even more favorable with clients/consumers. Whenever a breach of work place ethics happens, the clients will be rest assured the offender(s) will be appropriately disciplined & that these types-of occurrences wont be tolerated.
If a business has a specific set of values which are shared and well known by the staff, the working environment will be more conducive to values driven behavior. Always knowing what’s right and what’s wrong, naturally encourages behavior that’s consistent with the set values. When a staff member sees that he/she’s continually being treated fairly & in a way that is consistent with the set ethics, it’ll encourage him/her to treat other staff member and customers fairly as well. The ethics code also encourages members of staff to react much more positively to other staff members, this will be passed-on throughout the entire staff thus creating a contagious-wave of positive actions.
Business ethics basically has 2 key parts: the internal and the external. The internal business-ethics consist of how the company handles its’ internal situations with their staff and departments in finding the best ethical-answer to difficult situations. The external business ethics typically dictate how the company should interact with the customers & other businesses. The external ethics are vital since improper actions may create negative-goodwill for a company, thus damaging their reputation. Conducting a business will require both moral & business ethics. If the company’s management and the employees don’t have personal moral-ethics, it can be rather hard to implement strong business-ethics policy for the business operations.
Using ethics whenever you are making business decisions will ensure that the decisions made are well-thought out. Ensuring that you and your team members align with the core values and business ethics already set up will be most beneficial. Working with a business coach may provide greater group and team cohesion when doing the necessary research.