Guidelines for Managing Ethics in the Workplace

Click here to view a video about business ethics 101, what it is and why it matters...

The following guidelines will ensure the ethics management program is operated in a meaningful fashion in a company:

• Although the deliverables of an ethics management program (eg. codes, policies and procedures, budget items, meeting minutes, authorization forms, newsletters, etc.) are important, the emphasis should be on the sound and acceptable process followed to achieve these deliverables.
• An ethics management program is meaningless unless the lists of ethical values or codes of ethics also generate policies, procedures and training that translate those values to appropriate behaviours.
• The development of ethical codes should aim to sensitize employees to ethical considerations and minimize the chances of unethical behaviour occurring in the first place.
• Make ethics decisions in groups considering diversity, and make decisions public, as appropriate.
• Integrate ethics management with other management practices such as strategy, personnel policies etc.
• Use cross-functional teams when developing and implementing the ethics management program to enhance a sense of participation and ownership.
• Creating a corrective rather than a punitive culture, help employees to recognise and correct ethical mistakes. There is however a limit to how much can be tolerated.