Importance of Workplace Ethics

Workplace ethics ensures positive ambience at the workplace. Workplace ethics leads to happy and satisfied employees who enjoy coming to work rather than treating it as a mere source of burden. Employees also develop a feeling of loyalty and attachment towards the organization.

Organizations need to have fool-proof systems to measure the performances of individuals. Appraisal system needs to be designed keeping in mind employee’s performance throughout the year and his/her career growth. Periodic reviews are essential.

It is mandatory for superiors to know what their subordinates are up to. You need to know who all are going on the right track and who all need that extra push.

Workplace ethics ensures management guides and mentors their employees well. Appraisal and salary hikes should not happen just for the name sake. Workplace ethics is important as it enables management to treat all employees as equal and think from their perspective as well. Employees must have a say in their appraisal system. Transparency is essential.

An employee is bound to move on after a year or so if he/she is not appreciated and rewarded suitably. It is indeed the organization’s loss when employees after being trained quit and move on. Do you think it is entirely the employee’s fault? Why would an employee move on if he/she is fully satisfied with his/her current assignment?

Employees change primarily because of two reasons - Career growth and monetary benefits. Management needs to make employees feel secure about their job and career. Unnecessary favouritism is against workplace ethics. If you favour anyone just because he is your relative, the other team members are bound to feel demotivated and thus start looking for new opportunities. An individual’s output throughout the year should decide his/her increment.

Organizations need to stand by their employees even at the times of crisis. You cannot ask your employees to go just because you don’t need them anymore or your work is over. Such a practice is unethical. How can you play with someone’s career?

If an individual has performed well all through but fails to deliver once or twice, you just can’t kick him out of the system. Workplace ethics says that organizations need to retain and nurture talents.

If you have hired someone, it becomes your responsibility to train the individual, make him/her aware of the key responsibility areas, policies, rules and regulations and code of conduct of the organization. Employees need to be inducted well into the system. They must be aware of the organization’s policies from the very first day itself.

Workplace ethics also go a long way in strengthening the bond among employees and most importantly their superiors. Employees tend to lie if you do not allow them to take leaves. If you do not allow an employee to take leave on an important festival, what do you expect the employee to do? What is the alternative left with him? He would definitely lie. Do not exploit your employees and don’t treat them as machines.

No employee can work at a stretch without taking a break. It is okay if they talk to their fellow workers once in a while or go out for a smoke break. Understand their problems as well. If you feel the problem is genuine, do not create an issue. It is but natural that once or twice they would definitely call their family members and enquire about their well-being. Superiors should not have a problem with that.

It has been observed that organizations which are impartial to employees, lend a sympathetic ear to their grievances and are employee friendly, seldom face the problems of unsatisfied employees and high attrition rate.