Ethical issues continue to make headlines, especially issues related to sexual harassment and discrimination. These headlines tell us that ethical issues continue to run rampant through many companies, affecting employer/employee relations, business practices, company/customer relationships, and company operations. In other words, workplace ethics continues to be a key area that many companies need to address.
Surveys indicate that almost half of the working population in the United States has seen some form of ethical misconduct within the workplace. The costs of poor workplace ethics within companies can be high, to the point where many organizations file for bankruptcy after unethical conduct is brought to light.
Workplace Ethics - Unethical Company Behavior
Two of the most common ethical issues within a company are discrimination and harassment. While companies are very careful to ensure that company policies forbid any discrimination or harassment based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender, or age, employees continue to feel the cutting edge of harassment and discrimination. It can be more blatant but is often felt in more subtle ways. Off-color jokes are told, with the teller claiming it is simply a joke and should not be taken seriously. This is especially harmful when the individual telling the joke is a member of management. Not only do employees feel powerless to do anything, but it also sets a negative example, leading to a toxic corporate culture.
Workplace Ethics - Unethical Employee Behavior
While the workplace ethics issues that make the headlines are usually those committed by top personnel of the company, employee unethical behavior is also becoming more common.
In our world of technology, employee misuse of company technology continues to grow. Misuse may include more serious issues of visiting unsuitable websites using company equipment to simply visiting websites not related to the job. Many employees are tied to social media and will take time throughout the day to log into various websites. While it might seem harmless, the cost to employers globally is reaching billions of dollars due to lost production time.
As the problems around poor workplace ethics continue, seemingly unabated, companies are accepting the need to address the issue with both management and employees. When hiring, companies take the time to go through the company's ethical code of conduct to ensure that all new employees understand company policy.
When looking for alternative ways to address issues related to workplace ethics many companies turn to motivational speakers. Motivational speakers have the ability to address the issues in a manner that is non-threatening, yet extremely effective in driving home the idea of the importance of maintaining high ethical conduct at all times.
Brad Hurtig is one of today's top motivational speakers. He brings his unique life story and challenges to the table, uniting management and employees to the cause. During his high school years, Brad lost both hands in a workplace accident. Rather than letting the loss hold him back, he learned how to overcome and move forward. His message regarding the importance and relevance of workplace ethics within today's companies is one that is sure to motivate all who listen so go ahead and contact him to spread the message.