How to Resolve Ethical Challenges in Business

{{Employees’ ability to make ethical decisions is a key element of sound workplace relations and staff productivity.}}

The need to develop ethical decision-making skills among employees should always be on the agenda of every responsible business entity.

Ethical decision-making helps employees to anticipate ethical problems, recognise ethical dilemmas, and resolve ethical challenges as they come.

The following questions help employees to determine whether the decisions they make in their day-to-day activities are ethical or not.

{{Is the decision legal?}}

This means checking the legality of your decision. Is there a violation of the laws of the land, or company rules and regulations? These are straightforward compliance issues.

If you are doing something that seems to violate the law and company rules, or professional standards then change your way of doing things.

Generally speaking, laws are the social means we agree to abide by on how we should behave, and our acceptance of employment at a company means explicitly agreeing to observe its rules and regulations, policies and procedures including the code of conduct or ethics.

Membership in a particular profession also entails agreement with its code of ethics.

{{Does the decision violate other people’s values?}}

This question emanates from the fact that people have diverse cultural backgrounds that inform what they view as ethical.

The most commonly expressed sentiment in this regard is not to impose your ethical values on others.

Instead we should all be accommodative of each other. This entails acknowledging our diversity and showing respect for that diversity.

What may be viewed as ethical in the Western world may be taken as unethical in Africa or in other parts of the world.

For some people the Bible decides what is right and wrong, and for others it’s the Koran.

For some it’s the traditions that have been passed from generation to generation, and still for others it is mere common sense that informs ethical conduct.

However, much as there is this diversity, there are obviously ethical values that transcend our diversity to inform what we ought to do as human beings.

These values form part of the common cultural heritage of all nations that are articulated by international institutions such as the UN Human Rights Charter.

They include democracy, good governance, honesty, integrity, transparency, accountability, truthfulness, etc.

Diversity can never be used as an excuse for disregarding ethics in our conduct as there is always a way of finding common ground in that diversity.

Obviously, we will not always agree on some of these values but we will definitely help each other by honestly sharing our concerns and coalescing to find common ground in the face a global economic integration.

An ethical employee does good by respecting the conscience and the deeply held values of his/her employing organisation.

{{Would you like it when someone does a bad thing to you?}}

The value of respecting the wishes of the person next to you is made clear. Ethical people should treat others as they would like themselves to be treated.

{{Would you like the decision published?}}

Would you mind having your decision splashed on the front page of a daily paper? Ethical people should be transparent in their dealings and should be able to defend themselves in public.

This test is premised on the universal dictum that the society has an engrained moral compass, and that our shame and fear before the judgment of our societies will help us avoid unethical decisions.

Secrecy and deceitfulness are the hallmarks of unethical acts, and transparency and accountability are at the centre of defining ethical behaviour.

{{Will your decision not harm someone?}}

Could someone be seriously and irresponsibly harmed by the decision? The individual should carefully consider whether his/her action will harm or not harm others before committing the act.

An ethically sound person will act responsibly to prevent serious harm to others, and ethical employees do not disparage their employers and colleagues to outsiders.

{l Bradwell Mhonderwa is an Ethics Coach and Trainer with the Business Ethics Centre.

Send feedback to bradwellm@businessethicscentre.co.zw}

Herald