Discuss at least three ways that an organization can promote ethics.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

There are several ways an organization may promote high ethical standards on the job, as follows:

Create a strong ethical climate: An ethical climate represents employees’ perceptions about the extent to which work environments support ethical behavior. It is important for managers to foster ethical climates because they significantly affect the frequency of ethical behavior.

Screen prospective employees: Companies try to screen out dishonest, irresponsible employees by checking applicants’ résumés and references. Some also use personality tests and integrity testing to identify potentially dishonest people.

Institute an ethics code and training program: A code of ethics consists of a formal written set of ethical standards guiding an organization’s actions. Most codes offer guidance on how to treat customers, suppliers, competitors, and other stakeholders. The purpose is to clearly state top management’s expectations for all employees.

Reward ethical behavior and protect whistle-blowers: It’s not enough to simply punish bad behavior; managers must also reward good ethical behavior, as in encouraging (or at least not discouraging) whistle-blowers. A whistle-blower is an employee who reports organizational misconduct to the public, such as health and safety matters, waste, corruption, or overcharging of customers.