Question

In your opinion, to be considered truly ‘ethical’ how should a retailer treat its employees? Give examples to support your arguments

Answer 1

An organization should not only adopt ethical practices towards its consumers but also towards its employees in the workplace. Retail employees work at different levels in a retail store. If they are mistreated in the organization, they won’t have anything good to say about it in front of others, which will affect the reputation of the company. In addition, it will also cause low self-esteem and low morale amongst the employees which in turn will decrease productivity and increase employee turnover.

Ethical practices towards employees include:

1. Preventing discrimination in the workplace by promoting fair treatment to employees irrespective of their age, gender, race, religion, etc. For example, women should be assigned equal responsibilities as men and should not be treated as inferior to a man.
2. Providing equal salaries and benefits to employees as per their position and performance in the organization. For example, salaries should be given based on performance and not based on favouritism.
3. Not abusing or humiliating employees and treating them with the respect and dignity that they deserve.
4. Encouraging honesty and integrity within the organization and not encouraging bribery or unfair practices to further organizational goals. For example, an employee should not receive gifts in exchange for favours from people outside the organization.