Good Business Ethics Require Good Training

Ethical practices in management are something that must be taught.  None of us are born knowing the difference between right and wrong.  We learn appropriate behaviors from parents, peers, and society at large as we grow into functioning adults.  So it should come as no surprise to companies that employees who are trained in ethical business practices are far more likely to engage in them.  While there is certainly a large amount of personal responsibility involved when employees commit fraudulent, illegal, or even simply immoral acts, companies that neglect to train their workers in the ethics of business are doing both themselves and their employees a great disservice.  Not only that, but they are partially culpable in indiscretions that occur under the veil of business.

Most companies offer several types of training.  Almost all large corporations (and many franchises) offer both on-the-job and sexual harassment training to all new employees.  The reason for these two types of training, respectively, is to teach employees the technical obligations of their job and to inform them of inappropriate behavior in terms of interacting with colleagues, teams, and management (basically anyone they come in contact with in the course of performing their job).  Many companies also provide some type of management training for those that are promoted to positions in which they will have to deal with others in an authoritative capacity, which can be stressful for everyone involved as it often includes changing relationships with co-workers who were previously at the same level.  However, this type of training is less common than the other two.

Some companies have even begun to offer training in workplace diversity to combat both blatant racism and questionable practices in a growing global marketplace.  But courses or seminars in ethics are rarely given by companies to their employees, despite the obvious benefits.  If you never train your dog to go to the bathroom outside, you can hardly get mad at him when he goes in the house.  The same can be said for employees when it comes to ethics in the workplace.  Not everyone shares the same ideals and moral compunctions.  And while certain issues are a matter of common sense (theft, for example, is illegal and therefore probably not a good idea regardless of whether or not the company explicitly forbids it) there are plenty of gray areas when it comes to what is considered right and wrong in the office.

Is it wrong to remove your group from the office for monthly scheduled team-building exercises if you’re the only group doing it?  How will it affect the way other teams feel about your employees (and about the company as a whole)?  And what about mandatory overtime?  It may be necessary, but is it legal or ethical?  What is more important: morale or money?  Are happy workers more productive, and if so, should you spend the time and effort to keep them happy?  These questions are ones that should cross the minds of executives who are implementing and executing company policy.  In the long run, ethical practices are something that every company should impart to employees, especially if they hope to run a business that lives up to their ethical standards.

Kylie Lawrence writes for Spirit Pins, a company that specializes in custom lapel pins and sports team trading pins.