Edward Snowden was recently dismissed from his contract systems administrator position at Booz Allen Hamilton for not complying with their ethical code of conduct. Some people call him a hero, while some label him a traitor. While this story is fresh in our minds, it is a good time to think about ethics in the workplace.
Do you know how your employees would react with a difficult situation that tests their integrity?
Do you know if an employee would do the “right thing”?
What exactly is the right thing and can you clearly define that for every employee?
In today’s business world, priorities are changing so fast, new information is being created, that there is a tendency toward “numbness.” Employees are facing so many different or unusual situations that they can and will make the wrong choice, to the detriment of your firm, your customers, or even you.
It is both unwise and unsafe to assume that every one of your employees has the same ethical values as you. Unless you address this issue right away, you will find yourself sliding down the slippery slope into the gray zone. Your employees’ commitment to integrity will fail and so will your reputation as a firm conducting ethical practices.
There are solutions that can help you reduce the size of the gray zone that currently resides in your company, to foster a culture of ethics, which translates to a reputation of integrity.