I’m a new supervisor. Now that I have oversight of my team, I know it’s my responsibility to keep an eye out for unethical behavior. But what does that behavior look like? How can I prevent unethical conduct on my team? Show
HR Answer: Ethics in the workplace can be a broad and, at times, intangible concept. At its root, unethical business practices include any behavior that violates the law, such as theft or violence, but can also include areas that are broader and more nebulous. According to The HR Digest, the five most common examples of unethical behaviors are:
Is Unethical Behavior Really That Common?Studies suggest that unethical behavior is something that all managers must confront at some point in their careers. To illustrate this point, in HR Ethical Dilemmas by the Society for Human Resources Management, 30% of surveyed U.S. employees said they felt pressured to compromise their workplace’s ethics, a 14% increase from three years earlier. Almost half of those employees surveyed said they observed misconduct that violated their organization’s ethics standards. The risks of unethical behavior in business can be devastating. For instance, bad corporate behavior can lead to the loss of valued employees and can discourage new recruits from applying. Employees want to work for a company that has values that align with their own personal values. They’re even willing to take a pay cut for it, as evidenced by MetLife’s recent study that found 89% of employees are willing to trade some of their salary (an average of a 21% pay cut) to work at a company whose values match their own. But the impact isn’t just felt internally, as customers’ decisions can also be impacted by unethical behavior. According to Accenture’s Global Consumer Pulse Research, 62% of consumers consider a company’s ethical values and authenticity before making their purchasing decisions. Finally, unethical behavior can carry with it legal risk, resulting in fines, penalties, and even incarceration. How Can a Company Prevent Unethical Behavior?Companies can take steps to prevent unethical and unlawful behavior. This includes the following steps:
As a supervisor, it goes without saying that your team is likely to emulate the behavior that you model. Therefore, it is important that you uphold the company’s values and Code of Conduct in your own behavior and ensure that your team members receive the appropriate training and understand the ethical standards they are expected to maintain.
Special thanks to Terry Wilson, SHRM, SPHR-SCP for writing this edition of our HR Question of the Week! Have a new supervisor on your team? Put them on the road to success by signing them up for our Supervisor Training Series! Visit our Training and Development page to learn how we can help your management team to get off to the right start. What effect could the unethical behavior of one employee have on a work team?You can lose your job and reputation, organizations can lose their credibility, general morale and productivity can decline, or the behaviour can result in significant fines and/or financial loss.
How are employees affected by unethical behavior?Unethical behaviour can lower employee productivity by interfering with their morale. Employees who witness unethical behaviour lose motivation to work and can result in absenteeism or worse, they may commit similar unethical behaviours perceiving this to be normal.
Who is affected when an employee acts unethically?Ethics are usually company written for all employees as well as employers to abide to. Besides employees, who else is affected when an organization acts unethically? When an employer acts unethical, it effects the employee, the employer and the customer.
How does ethical behaviour affect a team?Encouraging ethical behavior at work helps build a strong team and raise productivity. It helps an organisation maintain a reputation for strong values that directly align with its mission.
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