Week 5 work ethics

Week 5
Workplace Ethics
Dr. Russell Rodrigo

Outline:
1. Ethical Issues in the Workplace: The Current
Environment
2. Defining Parameters of the Employment
Relationship
3. Health and Safety
4. Work Ethic

Ethical Issues in the Workplace: The
Current Environment
What does ethics in
Human Resources
involve?
Relationships with others and
with the organizations
U.S.A. Research
“companies that place employees at the core of their strategies
produce higher long-term returns to shareholders than do industry
peers” – more than double!
Only ONE in FOUR workers is truly loyal to their place of
work.
Over ONE-THIRD of these lapses happening at least ONCE PER
WEEK!
73% of full-time workers encounter ethical lapses!

Ethical Issues in the Workplace:
The Current Environment

6-5
Two very distinct competing, perspectives on
the ethics of workplace relationships:
1. Employers might decide to treat employees well as a
means to produce greater workplace harmony and
productivity.
IMPACTS?
Rewards, teams, and
power relationships
Good impact on workers’ emotions
Firm values their emotions and
exhibits values such as honesty,
respect, and trust
less pressure, more valued as
employees
Satisfied employee
less likely to report misconduct to
outside parties.

This sense of duty might stem
from the law, professional codes
of conduct, corporate codes of
conduct, or such moral
principles a fairness, justice,
or human rights on the part of 6-6
2. Employers might
treat employees well
out of a Kantian
sense of duty and
rights, regardless of
the either utilitarian
or self-interested
productivity
consequences.
A deontological approach
Focuses on rights and duties of all
employees & treating employees
well simply because it is the right
thing to do.
Defenders of employee rights
argue that rights should protect
important employee interests
from being constantly subjected to
utilitarian and financial
calculations.

Defining Parameters of the
Employment Relationship
a. Legal and Ethical Boundaries -raises issues of power,
obligation, responsibility, fair treatment and expectations.
b. Legal Requirements - The ethics underlying the
concepts of due process and fairness can help determine
what is or is not acceptable behavior in the workplace.
c. Justification - Reasonable minds may differ not only as to
whether the means to achieve. The ends are justified
but whether the ends are just, fair or ethical.
c. Due Process and Just Cause - - is the right to be
protected against the arbitrary use of authority

Health And Safety
 Worldwide consensus that employees have a fundamental
right to a safe and healthy workplace.
 The extent of an employer’s responsibility for workplace health
and safety is in dispute.
 There is significant disagreement concerning the best policies to
protect worker health and safety.
6-9

The Learning Goals:
The importance of developing a strong
work ethic and how the work ethic you
develop will impact your future as an
employee.
Work Ethic

What is Work Ethic?
The Definition:
a standard of conduct
and values for job
performance

Expectations
for Employees
What are the traits of a
winning employee?
What does an
employer want?

Top 10 Work Ethics
 Attendance
 Character
 Team Work
 Appearance
 Attitude
 Productivity
 Organizational Skills
 Communication
 Cooperation
 Respect

Explain the Top 10 Ethics
Group Discussion

 Limit Absences
Be at work every day possible
Plan your absences
Don’t abuse leave time
Traits of a Winning Employee
 Come to work on time
Be punctual every day

 Be honest
“Honesty is the single most important factor
having a direct bearing on the final success of an
individual, corporation, or product.” Ed McMahon
 Be dependable
Complete assigned tasks correctly
and promptly

 Be willing to learn
Look to improve your skills
 Be loyal
Speak positively about the company

Workingtowardagoal requires
cooperationandrespect

 Leadership abilities
The ability to be led and/or to
become the leader
 Be a team player
The ability to get along with others
– including those you don’t
necessarily like

 Be a contributing member
The ability to carry your own
weight and help others who
are struggling
 Accept compromise
Recognize when to speak up with
an idea and when to compromise
by blend ideas together

 Dress Appropriately
Dress for Success!
Set your best foot forward
 Personal hygiene

 Good manners
• Hand shake
• Demeanor
• Eye contact
Remember that the first
impression of who you are
can last a lifetime

 Have a good attitude
Listen to suggestions
Be positive
 Accept responsibility for
ones work
If you make a mistake, admit it

 Do the work correctly
Quality and timeliness are prized
 Get along with co-workers
Cooperation is the key
to productivity

 Take pride in your work
Do things the best you know how
 Help out whenever asked
Do “extras” without being asked

The togettingyour taskdoneontimeKEY

 Make an effort to improve
Learn ways to better yourself
 Time Management
Utilize time and resources to get
the most out of both

 Written Communications
Being able to correctly write
reports and memos
 Verbal Communications
Being able to communicate one on
one or to a group

 Follow company rules and
policies
Learn and follow expectations
 Get along with co-workers
Cooperation is the key
to productivity
 Appreciate privileges and
don’t abuse them
Privileges are favors and benefits

BesensitivetoRacial and
Cultural Difference

 Work hard
Work to the best of your ability
 Carry out orders
Do what’s asked the first time
 Show respect
Accept and acknowledge an
individuals talents and knowledge

Why People Lose Their
Jobs:
 They get laid off
Job loss not their fault
They get fired
Job lost because of their actions

Common Reasons Why
Employees are Fired
Reasons the Law upholds
as “just cause” for firing

Reasons Employees are Fired
Attendance
 Being late or absent from
work
Shows lack of responsibility
Can hinder productivity

Character
 Abusing drugs or alcohol
Can create health/safety issues
 Being dishonest
Trust, once lost, is hard to regain
 Being unreliable
Dependability is an employee asset

Team Work
 Bossing others around
Giving orders is the boss’s job
 Not carrying your weight
Not doing your part – relying on others to do
your job for you

Appearance
 Dress Code
This can be a safety issue as well as a
disregard for rules
Remember that you are a representative of
your company how you dress and act can
reflect on the company.

Attitude
 Being troublemakers
Stirring up dissent among others
Causing arguments and problems
Being rude and using abusive
language
Inappropriate behavior is
inexcusable

Productivity
Failing to do the task properly
Costly errors hurt business
 Being careless
Can lead to accidents/profit loss
Being lazy
It’s a form of theft

Organizational Skills
 Loosing Tools & Materials
Unable to locate things
 Lack of Time Management
Not meeting deadlines
 Unprepared
Not ready for meetings or
presentations

Communication
 Failure to communicate
(written and/or verbal)
• Unable to properly express
ones thoughts and ideas
• Unable to interpret
instructions and directions

Cooperation
 Not getting along with others
Co-workers, boss, and/or
customers
 Failing to follow rules and
policies
Not following instructions
“Doing your own thing”

Respect
 Being disrespectful
Argumentative and confrontational
 Making fun of, harassing, or
discriminating against others
This could also
land in court!

 Being dissatisfied all the time
You agreed to the work/pay/hours
Other
 Theft
 Incompetence
Lack of ability to perform
assigned tasks

 Correct your faults, move
forward
 Don’t repeat your mistakes,
learn from them
 Think positively about your
next job
Positive Actions to
Take if You’re Fired

Employees Are Bothered by Co-
workers Who:
• Have poor personal hygiene
• Don’t clean up after using the office kitchen, sink, restroom
or appliances
• Leave trash or personal belongings in other people’s work
spaces
• Don’t acknowledge you unless you speak to them directly
• Use language that is overly familiar, e.g., calling you
“honey” or “dear”
• Wear clothing that is dirty, too casual, too seductive or
distracting in some other way
• Flirt with coworkers, vendors or customers
• Wear too much perfume or after-shave

• Drop in on you while you are working and don’t ask if it’s okay
to interrupt
• Habitually arrive late at meetings
• Gossip
• Have outbursts of anger or yell and curse
• Say negative things about other employees behind their backs
• Brag
• Talk too much about their personal lives
• Speak too loudly on the telephone
• Eat food at their desks that has a strong smell
• Tell jokes that involve race, gender, sexual orientation.
religion, ethnicity or national origin 60
More Examples

• Are too “touchy feely”
• Invade your personal space
• Send sloppy email messages
• Borrow things but forget to return them
• Play music in their cubicle that others can hear
• Don’t say “thank you”
• Waste your time
• Don’t return phone calls
• Keep asking you the same questions even though you have
given them answers previously
• Start meetings late and/or don’t end them on time
• Don’t pick up their completed copies from the copy room or
pick up pages they have sent to the printer.
61
And More

• Carry on loud conversations outside of your office or
cubicle
• Borrow money and forget to return it
• Frequently complain and/or criticize others
• Block walkways or doorways when carrying on
conversations
• Don’t pay attention when you are speaking to them
62
And More

A few employees who speak a language other
than English sometimes communicate with one
another in that language in your workplace. Some
employees think this is fine and none of their
business. Other employees feel uncomfortable
and left out when in the presence of these
employees. What do you think? Does workplace
etiquette demand that employees should always
speak in a language that everyone can
understand?
63
Scenario #1

Helen, a new employee, shares a cubicle with Dorothy, a
long-time employee of the company. Dorothy had the
cubicle to herself for quite a long time and had been using
the whole space as if it were hers. When Helen first moved
in, Dorothy cleared off the second desk area. As time
passes, however, she has been slowly taking over more
and more of Helen’s space. Helen now feels that she is
working in Dorothy’s cubicle, not a shared cubicle. Helen
has made a few comments like, “Gee, it’s getting cramped
in here,” but Dorothy either doesn’t get the point or
doesn’t want to. What should Helen do now?
64
Scenario #2

John’s co-worker in the next cubicle has a habit of
constantly clearing his throat, snorting and making
other unpleasant sounds. John has tried to ignore this
behavior, but finds it extremely distracting. Should
John just work harder to ignore this behavior (he
wonders if perhaps the coworker has some health
problem that is causing this); counter-attack by making
equally unpleasant noises; speak to the co-worker; or
go directly to HR to complain?
65
Scenario #3

Your office has provided a spacious kitchen with a large
refrigerator, a microwave and a coffee maker. Most of
the employees using this space are respectful of
others—i.e., they clean up after themselves, remove old
food from the refrigerator and make a new pot of
coffee when the pot is empty. Unfortunately, there are
a few employees who are discourteous and careless.
The behavior of this small group has led to both
resentment among their tidier coworkers and
annoyance that everyone else has to pick up after
them. What should be done to improve this situation?
66
Scenario #4

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