The word “ethic” is defined as, “The body of moral principles or values governing or distinctive of a particular culture or group” or “A complex of moral precepts held or rules of conduct followed by an individual”1. It has been said that having ethics is doing the right or moral thing when no one is looking. Ethics is a personal choice and therefore, how workplace ethics are governed depends upon the personal ethics of those who are in authority over that workplace and also those who work in that environment.
Workplace ethics are an extension of the personal standards or lack of them that is inherent in the people who make up the workplace. With all of the news and attention upon those who have proven that they were devoid of moral ethics in the way that they conducted their business, it behooves us to look at the basis for ethics that will stand the test and the trial of temptation in a world that seems to reward the “shady deal.” It seems that the current worldview deems that the only wrong thing about shady business dealings and immoral workplace ethics is in getting “caught.” It’s very important to obtain a certain level of ethics while in the workplace.
