Ethics play an important role in a person’s personal as well as professional life and guide how he/she behaves in different aspects of life. Every individual has to follow one’s workplace ethics in order to be consistent with organizational principles. Following moral principles and a set of values that help in proper conduct in the workplace both as an individual and a team player which distinguish the right and wrong behaviours can be called work ethics. The elements of work ethics may differ in various organizations but, there are certain common principles that need to be followed by everyone.
Respect: Every individual should respect each other in an organization to create a feeling of being valued and appreciated. A behaviour of respect lifts up the morale of all individuals and will improve the confidence levels as everyone is sure that nobody is going to ridicule them.
Integrity: Being honest to the core is one of the most preferred qualities in an individual and every employee should win the confidence of one and all with the highest levels of integrity towards the organization.
Professionalism: Professional attitude and conduct are crucial among all the employees of an organization to create positive vibes among the different people who deal and make them feel confident to work with the organization.
Although every individual need to abide by these principles on his/her own, the managers can help their team members in this aspect and be role models for the others. Managers should behave in a visible and transparent way and set standards for their team members as to what kind of conduct is acceptable and what is not. Organizations can establish a code of ethics to help all the employees understand the acceptable behaviour and help the managers to guide their team members. To set a good example, the top-level management and the managers at all levels should follow this code of ethics.
Let’s all take an oath that we shall understand our workplace ethics, and abide by them.