5 Questions to Test Your Business Ethics
August 15, 2010, By Kurt Simonsen 0 comments
Life has a funny way of challenging everyone's ethics, from seemingly unimportant daily questions to much larger, life-altering ones. How we respond depends primarily on our own set of personal beliefs and boundaries. Naturally, ethical conduct is expected within the professional environment, yet it is not always the true protocol. Standing up for what is ethically right is far easier said than done, especially when you have much at stake.
Consider the following hypothetical scenarios. What would you do if:
You noticed you were receiving far too much money in your weekly paychecks? The temptation here is incredible, and you can justify it rather easily. Isn't it the company's fault for not keeping accurate books and allotting you the proper amount? Absolutely. Why shouldn't you take what you are given? After all, you work hard and probably deserve more. Plus, you could really use the money to pay off those credit cards or to start socking something away for a rainy day. But the true question is this: Should you profit from another person's mistake? Even though it might be a big, impersonal company that makes millions of dollars and doesn't need a penny of what it is inadvertently paying you, the ethical challenge remains.
Your boss pressured you to lie? The person who holds your financial security in his hands asks you to be unethical and deceptive. If you follow his lead and convey untrue information, you injure, on some level, the people you lie to. However, if you make an ethical stand and tell your boss you are uncomfortable with the situation, you risk losing your employment.
Your close friend and colleague was stealing money? Choosing between loyalty to a friend and what is morally right can leave you sleepless and stressed. Theft and fraud happen all the time, so the possibility of something like this occurring is not all that remote. If you blow the whistle and turn your friend in, you destroy the friendship and probably get your colleague fired. Yet, if you remain quiet and allow your friend to continue his illegal acts, you have to deal with the fact that you knowingly have allowed something blatantly wrong to happen.
You accepted one position only soon after to be offered a better one with another company? Money and better circumstances draw you to take the second job, but what about the initial commitment you made? Does that mean anything if the other job will better suit your life? Ethically it is tough here to stay with your commitment simply because you gave your word. You know someone else will fill the job and you can move on. So, even though the world will go on if you choose the second job, isn't the ethical dilemma once again inside you? Why did you continue to interview after signing a contract? Does your word have value?
Your boss told you to make job cuts based on seniority rather than performance? Longevity and not performance is often the barometer by which people are measured. Do you accept your boss' perspective and carry out the order, letting go people who deserve better and expect some form of loyalty from you for all they have invested? Or do you take a stand and suggest to your boss that what is happening is not right, and that the company may very well suffer as a result?
Only you can adequately answer these questions for yourself. Ethical matters are provoked by your environment but handled by your integrity. In the end, you choose.
