“The ultimate basis for ethics is clear: Human behavior has consequences for the welfare of others. We are capable of acting toward others in such a way as to increase or decrease the quality of their lives” (Paul & Elder, 2003, pg. 10). When we think of ethics we think about the difference between right and wrong. We realize that some of our behaviors would be wrong and we would not want to be treated in that manner. Ethics has nothing to do with religious or cultural beliefs. Ethics is a world-wide knowledge of our actions towards others as being good or bad.
“Anyone interested in developing their ethical reasoning abilities should be able to differentiate ethics and the law. What is illegal may or may not be a matter of ethics” (Paul & Elder, 2003, pg. 31). We cannot always look to the laws of a land to understand what ethics are. We have seen in our own history that slavery was once legal and considered ethical. People in our country saw nothing wrong with mistreating others for their race, sex, religion, handicap, or any other attribute that made them different. The laws in our country have changed considerably over the past century but that does not make our laws ethical in any way.
So the main question here is “What is considered ethical and unethical?” According to Paul & Elder (2003, pg. 34) “For any action to be unethical, it must inherently deny another person or creature some inalienable right.” Some unethical acts are but not limited too; slavery, genocide, torture, sexism, racism, murder, assault, rape, fraud, deceit, intimidation, and false imprisonment.
According to Paul & Elder (2003, pg. 47) “Doing ethical good involves: promoting kindness, compassion, understanding, open-mindedness, forbearance, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy, benevolence, thoughtfulness, considerateness, civility, respect, generosity, charity, empathy, justice, impartiality, evenhandedness, integrity, and fair-play.” It is a hard task to incorporate all of these qualities into ones personality but it is the most important thing that we can do for our society and world in general.
Workplace Ethics
Ethics in the workplace is designed for employees basically to do the right thing. As children we were taught to treat others the way we would want to be treated. With work ethics it’s a grown up approach to the same thing. Two major versions include prohibiting the wrong thing and prescribing the right thing (Walker, 2000).
There are several ways that Congress has sought to protect individual rights in the workplace. One thing that was done by Congress incorporating the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991 that established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Then there was the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and finally, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Beard, 2007).
Congress had to set a special bill into place after it became apparent that some employees would be retaliated against for blowing the whistle on wrong-doers in the workplace. The bill is called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. This bill protects “investors by improving the accuracy and reliability or corporate disclosures, provides for civil and criminal action to protect whistle-blowers” according to Beard (2007, pg 34, para. 2). This basically means that it is illegal to retaliate on an employee if he or she turns someone in for breaking the rules.
Some of the ways that employers retaliate on whistle-blowers are; “denial of promotion, refusal to hire, denial of job benefits, demotion, suspension, discharge, ostracism, shunning, exclusion from meetings, obscene mailings, displays, gestures or insults, vandalism or property, threats or harassment, and discrimination” (Beard, 2007, pg 34, para. 3). Anything done in a harmful or negative way toward a person who has reported wrong doing in the company is considered retaliation and unethical.
Conclusion
Ethics are very important to people whether it be in the workplace or out in the world. Ethics is the basis for how we treat each other and if ethics are not followed it would be harder to function in society. Workplace ethics are so essential to how well a company or organization functions. As we see from the bad ethics case study, one person changed the whole atmosphere of a business. The way managers and fellow coworkers act in the workplace are the main reason for the company’s success or failure. Managers have a greater responsibility because they must be the example of what good work ethics are.
The only way to avoid bad work ethics is by training employees to understand good work ethics and employing managers who incorporate those skills. The manager is the top of the pyramid and everything that he or she does will be reflected in the employee’s work ethics. If a company wants to succeed they must spend extra time and money on implementing proper work ethic habits and enforcing the laws that protect human rights in the workplace.
Reference:
Beard, D. (2007).RETALIATION Unlawful, Unethical, or Just to be Expected? Strategic Finance, http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid;=4&sid;=54f07035-8cc7-48cd-b942-
29468b4c8e9f%40sessionmgr988 (2), p. 32-38.Retrieved August 30, 2007, from
Paul, R. & Elder, L. Miniature guide to understanding the foundations of ethical reasoning. University of Phoenix BSHS 302 rEsource. Retrieved August 30, 2007, from https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp
Shahinpoor, M. (2006). The Power of One: Dissent and Organizational Life. Journal of Business Ethics, pg 1 & 3. Retrieved August 30, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid;=104&sid;=8e23447d-1f89-4c52-88bc- 271a3012116c%40sessionmgr102
Walker, R (2000). Multiculturalism in Social Work Ethics.Journal of Social Work Education.36 (3) pg. 449-451. Retrieved on Aug. 31, 2007 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/results?vid=14&hid;=4&sid;=54f07035-8cc7-48cd-b942-29468b4c8e9f%40sessionmgr9
