Fostering Ethical Decisions

Professional ethics are important for several reasons. First, most professionals have an informational advantage over those they serve. Professional ethics will provide the useful function of identifying these moral hazards and providing the appropriate avoidance or work-around strategies.

An organization that is perceived to act ethically by employees can realize positive benefits and improved business outcomes. The perception of ethical behavior can increase employee performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, trust and organizational citizenship behaviors.

1. Act ethically and be seen to act ethically.
2. Be active in the ethics program. For example, introduce the ethics training or be the person to speak.
3. Encourage employees to raise issues.
4. Address ethics issues.
5. Enforce the ethics program, such as by punishing violators.

5 Ways Businesses Can Work Towards Being More Ethical

1. Make Your Products Ethically. One of many ways that you can be ethical as a business is to make ethical products.
2. Accept Feedback and Act on it.
3. Stick to Your Values.
4. Give Back to the Community.
5. Create an Ethical Culture.

1. Develop Ethical Standards. An integral first step is to formalize your expectations and make it clear about which behaviors are and aren’t acceptable.
2. Ensure Leaders Exhibit Proper Behavior.
3. Be Diligent About Enforcing Policies.
4. Praise Positive Behavior.
5. Promote Community Involvement.

In a business setting, ethical behavior is behavior that means applies the principles of honesty and fairness to relationships with coworkers and customers. Ethical individuals make an effort to treat everyone with whom they come in contact as they would want to be treated themselves.

Business ethics enhances the law by outlining acceptable behaviors beyond government control. Corporations establish business ethics to promote integrity among their employees and gain trust from key stakeholders, such as investors and consumers. While corporate ethics programs have become common, the quality varies.

Employees make better decisions in less time with business ethics as a guiding principle; this increases productivity and overall employee morale. When employees complete work in a way that is based on honesty and integrity, the whole organization benefits.

Consider these eight elements that comprise the ethical bedrock of an awesome organization:

• Respect: As an entrepreneur building a business, you need to respect yourself and surround yourself with people you can respect.
• Honor:
• Integrity:
• Customer focus:
• Results-oriented:
• Risk-taking:
• Passion:
• Persistence: