Question

Many multinational have demonstrated that respect for high standards of business conducts can enhance growth. Do you agree with this statement? Elaborate.

Answer 1

We all know workplace ethics are a crucial part of employment, and organizations that follow certain business ethics have better chances of survival, compared to those whose only goal is to earn profits, even if they have to make several compromises to achieve their goals.

The recent cases of scandals, frauds, and irregularities in various organizations have led to ethics in the workplace making a strong comeback. While businesses focus on profitability and success, it is imperative to train employees on being ethical. Training in ethics helps build a strong team and fosters professionalism amongst employees, thereby increasing productivity.

Work ethics manifest in invisible employee behavior, noticeable by its absence.

Every organization, irrespective of the industry, has certain guidelines which its employees must adhere to. Some common workplace ethics include:

Being Punctual: Arriving to work on time, adhering to lunch and breaks on time, and attending scheduled meetings on time.

Being Responsible: Putting up honest efforts at the workplace and utilizing time to complete designated tasks and deadlines instead of personal work.

Dressing Professionally: Being well-dressed and adhering to the company’s dress code and wearing ID cards.

Working as One Team: Working well with others, respecting others, and being a good team player.

Working with a Positive Attitude: Being pleasant and polite, and take on difficult tasks with a cheerful attitude.

Employees with strong ethics in their personal and professional life might not need much persuasion, unlike those for whom work ethics is a challenge; but everyone needs to be trained on being ethical at the workplace.

So, how do you train employees to be ethical in the professional realm?

Well, here are 3 ways you can do it:

1. A Written Code of Conduct: This clearly defines the ethics to be maintained in an organization. The aim of defining and writing a code of conduct is to let employees know what is acceptable and what is not within the organization. Every employee – new or experienced – must be trained on adhering to the CoC.

2. Ethics and Compliance Training Programs: Besides setting goals for the upcoming year, organizations should focus more on training employees on workplace ethics. A few members of the top level management can lead the ethics and compliance training programs. Such initiatives will stress the fact that employees must cultivate and adhere to the ethical code of the workplace.

3And finally, it is essential to communicate the ethical values and a Code of Conduct to employees to equip them with the authority to take appropriate ethical decision in any given situation. Above all, you need a good team with strong ethical behavior to grow and be a successful company.