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A work ethics is a set of values and principles that your company needs to follow. In other words, it can also be seen as a passport to greater chances of professional success, as it can bring more credibility and trust both internally and externally.
After all, we live in a context where large corporations have been involved in corruption scandals and slave labor, moral and sexual harassment etc. All of this leads to greater distrust of other organizations on the part of consumers and investors, which makes a commitment to work ethics a highly valued differentiator.
What's more, it's worth mentioning that today's 4.0 consumer is increasingly demanding and aware of their rights. This means that your company or professional conduct can be valued as much as publicly demoralized in cases of ethical failure.
So, have you realized how important it is to promote ethics at work? Read on and we'll tell you more about how to do this, especially through successful internal investigations!
What is considered ethical at work?
Ethics is about questioning the way we live socially and morally.
When we act or take any action, we base it on what would be right or wrong, good or evil, which are recurrent from a concept of individual ethics.
How important is an ethical working environment?
An ethical organizational culture has a positive impact on the company and its employees in many different ways.
It prevents inappropriate behavior and encourages a harmonious organizational climate, reduces turnover and keeps employees aligned with ethical conduct
That's why ethical behavior needs to be encouraged within the company.
Tips for promoting ethics at work
1. encourage respect and confidentiality
There is information that needs to be shared with other professionals. However, when it is confidential and leaking it could jeopardize much more than your job or contract, it is essential to ensure that confidentiality is preserved and to create a confidentiality manual. professional ethics with legal protection so that the company is not harmed.
When the information obtained is related to an internal investigation, guaranteeing secrecy is even more important. Otherwise, data leaks could compromise the image of those being investigated, whistleblowers and even the corporation itself, as this could lead to alterations in evidence and in more serious cases, the threatening of witnesses.
2. Recognize merits
Offering fair feedback to employees or coworkers is a way of recognizing and demonstrating value to those who help you grow professionally, and this also has to do with work ethics.
After all, working with people who are promoted for reasons of affinity, favoritism or even kinship with the boss doesn't make a good impression, especially on the internet team, and can lead to frustrations within the company.
3. Know how to criticize
When we talk about the importance of providing fair feedback and recognizing merits, it's important to know how to communicate this in a clear, empathetic and respectful way. Also, don't forget that prejudiced comments and attitudes can be considered criminal as well as unethical.
Many professionals, including those in high positions, have already lost their jobs for making prejudiced comments, inside or outside the workplace. Business General Manager of the Africa agency, one of the largest in the country, who was removed indefinitely due to a xenophobic post.
Therefore, try to make constructive and respectful criticisms, as well as not being tolerant of attitudes that violate the principle of ethics at work. The silence of bosses reflects a lot on how seriously other employees take ethical issues.
4. Value an ethical culture
As mentioned, something as important as work ethics cannot be treated in a superficial way, but must be brought into the corporate culture. Therefore, corporate leaders in particular need to lead by example.
In other words, in order not to lose a customer, many corporations promise false solutions that cannot be fulfilled. It can also happen that the "Brazilian way" is used to make up excuses, such as using a false medical certificate to miss work or things like that. Using and tolerating attitudes like these shows a lack of respect for work ethics.
On the other hand, paying employees on time, offering fair values, not discriminating against professionals on the basis of color, origin, gender, sexual orientation and even offering specific opportunities for these people, because it understands social injustices, are attitudes that show how much the corporation is aligned with ethical values.
5. Exalt teamwork
Valuing diversity in the company, as mentioned above, is also important to increase the plurality of views and make the strategies adopted more effective and not restricted to a small audience.
So, in addition to guaranteeing diversity in the organization, exalt teamwork so that this is reflected in respect for other people's opinions, empathy with the desires and needs of the consumer public that needs to be served, more cooperation and productivity in dealing with demands, humility in working relationships, etc.
This has become even more important in times when many corporations have had to opt for the home office during the coronavirus pandemicThis has helped to combat the virus, but may have caused the team to grow apart and become more individualistic at work.
6. Have reliable employees
If you've followed the article so far, you've already realized that trust in employees is fundamental to building an ethical culture at work and not having the company image tarnished by scandals, as well as building a negative internal climate due to lack of respect for privacy, etc. What's more, trust is essential even for the confidentiality of information.
In any case, it must be made clear that having trustworthy collaborators does not mean giving up internal compliance investigations and tolerating unethical situations because you believe in the conduct of those who work with you, but rather making a good recruitment and monitoring of these people to avoid any kind of problem with a lack of ethics.
Otherwise, by neglecting these factors related to work ethics, your company could have a shaky internal relationship, lose the credibility and loyalty of external consumers and even face legal problems involving the payment of fines and even the closure of the business.
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