We have all heard about workplace ethics and what is most commonly understood about ethics is there are ethics and there are workplace ethics. But what most people don’t realize is that there is now such thing as workplace ethics; ethics are the same (or, should be) whether in the workplace or in personal life. Ethics have every bit as much a place in the public as they do in private. How is it there should be separate sets of ethics, depending upon whether it is your personal life or your work life? The answer is that there should not be a separate set and in light of recent events that we see on our televisions as of late, more and more companies are realizing this fact.
The word “ethic” is defined as, “The body of moral principles or values governing or distinctive of a particular culture or group” or “A complex of moral precepts held or rules of conduct followed by an individual”. It has been said that having ethics is doing the right or moral thing when no one is looking. Ethics is a personal choice and therefore, how workplace ethics are governed depends upon the personal ethics of those who are in authority over that workplace and also those who work in that environment.
Workplace ethics are an extension of the personal standards or lack of them that is inherent in the people who make up the workplace. It seems that the current worldview deems that the only wrong thing about shady business dealings and immoral workplace ethics is in getting “caught.” So wouldn’t it just be easier to have integrity with everything you do and not have separate morals in regards to the workplace.
“The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.”
Thomas Babington
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