Employer of Choice (EOC)

Ethics in the Workplace

During this lecture, we will be discussing the importance of ethics in the workplace, some of the crucial keys to development of an effective ethics program, as well as effective implementation of an ethics program.

To begin our lecture, I would first like to define organizational ethics and then talk about the importance of ethics in the workplace.

Every employee of a business from the CEO down makes decisions on a daily basis which are based on the organization’s code of ethics.

Organizational ethics is defined as both the written and unwritten morals and values of an organization that govern their decisions and actions. It is usually the organization’s culture or internal environment that will determine what good versus bad decision making and behavior is.

Simply put, organizational ethics comes down to understanding the difference between what is right and wrong and choosing to do what is right.

We are now going to shift gears and talk a little bit about some of the crucial keys to development of an effective ethics program. According to a recent national study done by the Ethics Resource Center’s 2000 National Business Ethics Survey (2000 NBES), “…this survey provides solid data that leaders who want to establish a practice of positive workplace ethics within their organizations should develop written ethics standards, provide ethics training, and ensure resources are available for employees in need of ethics advice.”

You might be thinking, “so what does this really mean and why do I have to know this?” I’m glad you asked! Let’s break each one down and look at them individually.

Crucial keys to development of an effective ethics program

• Development of written ethics standards
  • Employees first need to know that an ethics program exists, so the company needs to write them down, publish them, and distribute them to all employees
• Provide ethics training
  • For any program to be effective, employees need to be properly trained on it and training must be mandatory
• Have resources available for employees
  • Resources must be made available to employees that have questions

Finally, our last topic of discussion will be effective implementation of an ethics program. Implementation of an effective ethics program can more often than not be the most difficult part for any business, and where most programs fail. On the other hand, if implemented strategically it can be the best opportunity for positive performance and culture within the organization.

A strategy for implementation is imperative for the success of any ethics program. The best way for effective implementation to take place is involvement of senior management, compliance officers as well as the board of directors providing guidance, funding and resources. They should be in agreement on what they want the program to accomplish and by what standards it will be measured by. The Human Resources department should also be involved at this stage because they will be responsible for employee training, possibly developing a reward system for maintaining the organization’s ethics as well as coming up with reasons for terminating employees for unethical behavior.

To conclude this lecture, it’s important to remember that organizational ethics are vital to the success of an organization. It is important that all levels of management set the pace for their employees and understand that their ethical or unethical behavior will determine the ethical or unethical behavior of their employees.

References

Joseph, J. (n.d.). Ethics in the Workplace – Articles – Resources – ASAE. ASAE – The Center for Association Leadership. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources

Employer of Choice

During this lecture we will be identifying what an employer of choice is as well as what the employer of choice’s relationship to social responsibility is.

Let’s begin by identifying what an employer if choice is. While there is no one agreed upon definition, it is commonly used to describe an organization that is able to attract and retain talented employees because they choose to work there.

When people are looking for a job, they often first ask either themselves or friends if they already know of a good company around town hiring. Often times you either already know of one or someone your family or a friend says, “hey, my friend works for XYZ and they told me they love it there! They get this, they get that, they make good money, you should apply!” Then all you can think about is how you just have to work for XYZ because they are so great! It can happen that easily. More often than not it is a little more difficult to become an employer of choice, however, all it may take is a good word from a friend and you are sold on the company.

When a business becomes the employer of choice in a job seeker’s eyes, they will do what it takes to work there despite having other potential options such as other job offers, etc.

Sandy Asch is author of a great book I once read titled “Excellence at Work-The Six Keys to Inspire Passion in the Workplace”. In her book she discusses how employers can inspire, motivate and reward their employee’s and developed six ideas that employers can use to try to become an employer of choice. Below are her six principles for organizations to become an employer of choice, which we will discuss and break them down into their simplest terms:

• Use their word wisely – Leadership should communicate with their employees with openness and honesty at all times.
• Be accountable – Leadership should be proactive as opposed to reactive and must be committed to being honest without offering excuses.
• Focus – When leadership focuses on their vision and goals, their employees will buy in to what they are doing and want to work hard for everyone’s success.
• Mine the gold – Leadership should collaborate and cooperate with all levels of employees. An employee that feels their voice is being heard will be motivated.
• Strive for balance – Leadership should encourage work/life balance for all their employees.
• Lighten up – Leadership should not take themselves so seriously and should strive to bring laughter in to the workplace, even if it’s at their own expense.

Now let’s shift gears and discuss what the employer of choice’s relationship to social responsibility is.

There are many names for it, social responsibility, corporate citizenship, or just simply doing the right thing, organizations are now more understanding of the importance of social responsibility than they

were even five years ago. The simple fact is that when a business acts unethically and irresponsibly it makes newspaper and TV headlines, but when a company acts responsibly and ethically, it goes a long way to help the company build a brand that will last and that people will trust.

An organization’s reputation is directly tied to its commitment to social responsibility. This commitment extends out into the community, consumers notice it and it creates value for the organization and its products. Think about it for a minute, with all things considered equal, would you prefer to give your business to a company that hires people with disabilities or turns them away? Something else for you to think about is would you be willing to change to a brand that is associated with a good cause?

To conclude this lecture, the bottom line is that with as much competition as there is out there, consumers and job seekers are more frequently supporting businesses that improve the quality of life for their employees, their employees families, the community and society as a whole.

References

Rizzo, L. A., & J.D.. (2007, May 8). Six Principles for Becoming an Employer of Choice. Human resources management website – HR.BLR.com. Retrieved March 4, 2012, from http://hr.blr.com/whitepapers/HR-Administration/HR-Strategic-Planning/Six-Principles-for-Becoming-an-Employer-of-Choice/