Blog Post: ETHICS in the WORKPLACE – FINAL COMMENTS

In my prior two blog entries on this topic I first presented a workplace scenario, requesting comments from readers; and then wrote a blog commenting on my readers’ insightful comments.  In this wrap-up blog I will give my view on ethics and my answer to the workplace scenario.  To not re-invent (or in this case, re-write) the wheel, I will use some quotes from my copyrighted book, “How to Get, Keep and Be Well Paid in Job”.

“A behavior is either ethical (right) or unethical (wrong).  There is absolutely no gray area.  Being ethical means doing the right thing.  What determines if something is ethical or unethical is the behavior itself, not the circumstances surrounding the action taken, not the relationship between the people involved, not an individual’s culture, not a person’s value system, not life’s experiences, etc., etc., etc.”

That said, acting unethically does not mean you are a bad person.  For example, speeding is against the law, thus unethical.  However, driving 10 miles an hour over the speed limit doesn’t make you a bad person.

“The key to understanding ethics is to be able to define if an act is ethical or unethical.  Once you have identified the ethical behavior, then you decide what to do.  In other words, to either do the ethical behavior or do the unethical behavior.  This is where circumstances, relationships, culture, values, life’s experiences, etc., etc., etc. come into play.  You decide in each situation if you are going to act ethically or unethically. 

There will be times in life that you feel strongly that choosing the unethical behavior is the right choice for you.  However, you must be aware that if you choose to do the unethical behavior  there can be severe consequences.  Therefore, if you choose to act unethically, know what those consequences could be (obvious and hidden), and be prepared to accept those consequences for making the decision to act unethically.”

In the case of the unethical act of driving 10 miles over the speed limit, for example, you have to be prepared to possibly: get a speeding ticket and see your insurance rates increase; to be at minimum partially liable for any car accident; and may have given cause for a police office to search your vehicle.

Now on to the scenario from the previous blogs:

Situation:  A bank has a strict policy that all tellers must have at minimum a high school diploma or a GED.  There are no exceptions.  In fact, a good friend of yours who was an excellent teller for another bank, just lost his job because of the downturn in the economy, and was turned down by the bank you work for because he did not have his GED or high school dipolma.  Your friend was told that every teller in the bank has at minimum a GED or high school diploma, and that the bank even uses that fact when soliciting new accounts.  Today the teller who sits next to you, someone who is not your friend, not even someone you go to lunch with, turns to you and says, "I can't wait.  Next month I am finally getting my GED."

The ethics of the situation is clear.  The bank teller obviously lied during the job interview process and on his/her application which is unethical.  So, what would I do?

I would first inform the bank teller that I am very annoyed that he/she told me that they are breaking bank rules and that by telling me of that fact he/she has placed me in a difficult spot; a spot I would rather not have been in, and a spot I am only in because of his/her action.  I would next remind the bank teller of the fact that we promote to all potential new customers (and existing customers) that all our tellers have at least a GED or high school diploma.  Next, I would then inform the bank teller that I will give him/her two days to inform our supervisor of this fact, or that I will have no choice but to tell our supervisor myself. 

I know what many of you are thinking.  What a rat, especially since by just keeping your mouth shut nothing would happen to you, Jay.  Well, let me play this scenario out.

Let’s say that my supervisor finds out that the bank teller did not have his/her high school diploma or GED when he/she was hired.  Maybe the bank teller celebrates when he/she finally gets his/her GED, or maybe someone sends him/her congratulatory flowers.  When the bank teller is called onto the carpet by his/her supervisor, the bank teller comments that he/she didn’t think it was a big deal and that he/she mentioned it to Jay and Jay did not think it was a big deal either.  That statement by the bank teller just brought me into this mess. 

As a result of the lie on the application the bank teller gets fired (this is usually a policy; companies can’t start looking into the degree of each lie on a job application).  Nothing happens to me.  I keep my job and, in fact, have no idea that my name was brought up in the meeting between my now fired ex-coworker and my supervisor.  However, my supervisor now feels that my priorities are wrong.  I do not have the best interests of the bank in mind.  I knew the bank was informing potential customers that every teller had a least a GED or high school diploma, knew that was untrue, and keep my mouth shut.  If I thought I would be admired for not “tattling” on a coworker who was untruthful on his/her application, I might be by some misguided coworkers; but I won’t be by people of influence in the company.

A year later there is a promotion opportunity in the bank.  I believe I am perfect for the job.  I don’t get it.  The same thing happens nine months later, then fifteen months after that.  Unfair I think.  However, it all goes back to me deciding to act unethically.  It is the fact that management in the bank does not believe they can count on me to do the right thing for the bank that is preventing me from advancing in the company.  And by this time I have totally forgotten that offhand comment by my ex-coworker; and never got a chance to explain my side of things, although I doubt that that would have made a difference anyway.

There are often hidden consequences to unethical acts.  People who say “Why doesn’t anything ever work out for me?” or “I constantly have bad luck” may just be living the hidden consequences of prior unethical acts.  Here, I would not be willing to risk my advancement in the bank, possibly being stuck in the same relatively low-paying job for a long time, because a co-worker acted unethically (lying on a job application) and brought me into the mess; most likely on purpose to have an ally in case the situation went bad.

Well, that’s it.  Feel free to comment on my decision like I commented on yours.  If you found these blogs helpful you should check out my book, “How to Get, Keep and Be Well Paid on a Job” (http://outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?ISBN=9781432725297). Whether for yourself, or for your child who is new to or will be entering the workplace, or as a training vehicle for your staff; “How to Get, Keep and Be Well Paid on a Job” helps people become highly-valued employees.