Employee Management Ethics Training
The workplace is full of ethical dilemmas that can be difficult for any worker to tackle. However, managers often face especially difficult decisions, because they are responsible not only for their own actions, but for those of their staff as well. Therefore, ethics training is especially important for those who manage other employees.
Other People Are Reading
-
Ubiquity of Ethical Dilemmas
-
People in the business world must deal with many ethical dilemmas, often on a daily basis. For example, an organization that emphasizes profits above all else might pressure employees to act unethically. Employees who work overseas might find that bribery and other unethical actions are widespread in other cultures, despite being strictly forbidden by their company. Even workers who act ethically themselves can face a decision about whether to report the illegal behavior of coworkers, who might also be friends.
Common Ethical Violations
-
According to John Schermerhorn's 2008 text, "Management," only 55 percent of workers actually report unethical behavior that they witness. Moreover, approximately half of all workers said they had observed unethical behavior in the previous year. The most common unethical behaviors that employees engage in include abuse toward other employees, lying and misrepresenting the time they spent working.
-
Importance of Management
-
While all workers must grapple with these common ethical issues, it is especially important for managers to be able to handle them, as they must supervise others, set the tone for a department, create a team and be ultimately responsible for their staffs' actions. A leader often must arbitrate conflicts and make difficult decisions, both of which can be ethically taxing. A leader must send the signal from the top that all employees should respect others and do the right thing.
Management Ethics Training
-
According to Schermerhorn's "Management," effective ethics training, especially for those who will be in charge of others, has seven fundamental steps: Training must encourage employees to recognize the ethical dilemma, get the facts, identify their options, test each option for viability, decide which to solution follow, evaluate how they would feel if their decision became public (shame can indicate it is an unethical course), and then take action once they believe they have truly found the best answer.
Ethical Managing
-
Using his ethical training as a backdrop, a leader must always act ethically and emphasize his commitment to compliance to his team, so that workers will not be tempted to take the easy way out. Teamwork also prevents secrecy, which can breed unethical behavior, so managers should learn how to foster true cooperation. They must not try to cover up or excuse any unethical behavior they discover. This can come back to haunt managers if word gets out, and it sends the signal to other employees that the company's ethical policies are not important.
-
References
- Photo Credit smart management image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
