Soul searching
"WHAT'S work got to do with ethics?" Well, for most of us, `business ethics' sounds oxymoronic. Ethics is the domain of preachers and teachers. Business houses are not expected to have any semblance of worship houses. CEOs are not supposed to don the garb of spiritual gurus. And, the code of conduct is not designed to read like the 10 commandments.
If that is your line of thinking, then your company is sure to experience a turbulent phase, much sooner than later.
So, it is time to start integrating the two apparently detached entities - `business' and `ethics', and work towards making your workplace morally harmonious.
Most of the literature available on this topic deals with the issue far too simplistically. They discuss questions like, "Do I lie?" "Do I steal?" "Do I cheat?"
Now, don't we already know the answers to these questions? However, ethical dilemmas at work have always been in the hard-to-understand grey area. Modern day complexities have rendered them more difficult.
"Why me?"
Most leaders think that their organisations do not need any ethical training, because their employees are trustworthy. Only scams jolt these leaders to see reality.
Hence, it is always prudent to have some kind of ethical training in organisations. In fact, 90 per cent of the B-schools offer some form of business ethics training as part of their curriculum. Here's why:
Corporate image: It indeed is the best benefit you can derive for maintaining an ethically consistent workplace. Nurturing appropriate values indicates that the organisation is more concerned about people, not profits.
Such programmes also prove to be effective marketing and public relations efforts.
Employee retention: In a society that stands for values, it pays to pay attention to values. Constant monitoring is necessary to avoid disparity between the preferred values and the existing values.
This reminds the employees of the importance of values for the organisation and their role in stoking the `feel-good' emotion. This increases not just their motivation at work but also makes them more loyal to the organisation, which means lower attrition figures.
Criminal and civil petitions: With an ethics programme in place, an ethical violation can be detected before it is too late. This avoids possible criminal or civil petitions by customers or employees.
Setting new standards: Organisations with high ethical practices set new benchmarks. This forces their competitors also to improve their standards, which in turn benefits the entire society.
Training: The importance laid on values must be made clear to employees right at the time of their induction into the organisation.
Regular training and inclusion of ethical compliance as a component of performance appraisals would go a long way.
Policies and procedures: Must be regularly updated in accordance with changing ethical environment. They must address ethical dilemmas and incorporate regular training. Provision must be made for a method where anonymous reporting of unethical activities is possible.
So, get started on this scrupulous mission, right away.
HAJIRA SHAHEEN
faqs@cnkonline.com
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