Ethics is Paramount in the Talent War
Ethics and corporate values are increasingly important to job candidates. In a recent poll, 82% of professionals stated that they would choose lower pay but good ethical practices at a firm over greater pay at a company with questionable ethics. In today's war for talent, a firm's reputation and leadership may make all the difference in attracting the talent they want and need. While some people believe that there is a choice between being profitable and effective or behaving ethically, this isn't the case. Ethical individuals and executives are critical contributors to success. Ethical leaders are present in both good and bad circumstances, build their teams, and defend others when necessary. They are the first ones to face the challenges head-on and help their team through it. They know that they are there to help their team and organization succeed, above their self-interests.
The bottom line is that ethics matter. Good companies know this and act accordingly, while unethical companies try to hide their true colors. In the long run, unethical businesses will always lose out to those that operate with integrity. Many companies claim to be ethical, but what does that mean in practice? How do you differentiate between truly ethical businesses and those that simply pay lip service to ethics? One way to tell is by looking at how a company handles its talent. Do they treat their employees fairly and with respect, or do they exploit them for as much work as possible? Do they offer competitive salaries and benefits, or do they nickel and dime their employees until they can barely make ends meet? By taking the following steps, businesses can improve their ethical culture and make themselves more attractive to job candidates in the process.
How Businesses Can Improve Their Ethical Culture
Lead by example: Ethics in business starts at the top. If company leaders aren’t living up to their ethical values, it sets a bad precedent for the rest of the organization. Leaders need to live and breathe their company’s values, setting the tone for everyone else. Ethical leadership entails behaving in a manner that is consistent with a set of principles and values that the majority of people accept as a good basis for the public good. These are defined as integrity, respect, trust, fairness, transparency, and honesty. Choose carefully when selecting people to work for, partner with, consult with, hire as attorneys, acquire as suppliers, and purchase from. This will signal to everybody what you stand for.
Promote integrity and accountability: A key part of an ethical culture is a commitment to integrity and accountability. Companies should make it clear that they expect their employees to always act with integrity, and they should hold them accountable when they don’t. This could involve anything from requiring employees to sign a code of conduct to setting up anonymous reporting mechanisms for potential wrongdoing. It’s not enough for businesses to have ethical values—employees need to know what those values are. Companies should communicate their ethical values to employees regularly, through things like employee handbooks, codes of conduct, and training programs. By doing this, businesses can make sure that their employees are aware of the standards they’re expected to uphold.
Encourage transparency: A lack of transparency can breed suspicion and mistrust. If employees feel like they’re in the dark, they’re more likely to assume the worst about their company and its leadership. To encourage transparency, businesses should have an open-door policy, regular town halls, and an accessible management team. Make it clear what your principles are once you've identified them. You'll avoid misunderstandings this way, and it will be easy for individuals or partners to choose to work with you—or not. Don't say something will happen if you know it won't. This may be a promotion, outstanding financial performance, or anything else that isn't backed up by facts. Imperfect is preferable to false because it pays off in the long run.
Foster a culture of respect: A key component of an ethical culture is respect. Employees should feel respected by their leaders and their peers. This includes feeling like their voices are heard and their concerns are taken seriously. Ethical leaders respect others around them, regardless of their position or identifying characteristics. This means they listen to each stakeholder, foster inclusion, and value diversity. Respect supports true meritocracy and fair treatment of every individual, regardless of status, ethnicity, age, or any other potential factor of discrimination. It also includes condemning any improper behaviors or actions that could harm someone.
领英推荐
Encourage employees to speak up: Many companies have whistleblower policies in place, but few employees know about them. If employees don’t feel comfortable speaking up, it’s impossible to create an ethical culture. To encourage employees to speak up, businesses should make sure their whistleblower policies are well-publicized and easy to understand. They should also create an anonymous reporting system so employees can report wrongdoing without fear of retribution. Ethical leaders are aware that failing to pay attention to important details might have far-reaching consequences. They carefully watch events to detect possible problems. If confronted with doubt or a problem, ethical leaders should express their concerns and respond when others speak up, even if it means slowing things down or adding more effort.
Implement an effective compliance program: Incredibly, some organizations blissfully continue doing business without strict compliance in hopes that the rules will be relaxed for them. Unfortunately, this is not the case. These regulations are not arbitrary nice-to-haves; they exist to ensure the safety and security of the country and its citizens. The risk of non-compliance means not understanding the importance of staying aligned to federal standards and regulations set forth for public safety and protection. Compliance is not a choice if you want to do business with the government. Work with regulators to ensure you’re meeting all the required standards for your industry. This will show employees that you’re committed to ethical behavior, and it will make it easier for them to comply with the law.
Invest in employee training: Help your team members be the best version of themselves, even if it means you might lose them to another opportunity. You can’t keep every employee forever, but you can develop them into stronger professionals while they’re under your guidance. Ethics and training go hand-in-hand; if you want your employees to act ethically, you need to train them on what that means. Provide resources on how to handle ethical dilemmas, give them opportunities to role-play different situations, and encourage them to ask questions. The goal is to get them thinking about ethics before they’re faced with a real-life dilemma.
Recognize and reward ethical behavior: Leaders set the tone for the entire organization, so it’s important to model the behavior you want to see in your employees. If you want employees to act ethically, you need to recognize and reward them when they make good choices. This could be something as simple as sending a handwritten note or giving them a public shout-out at the next team meeting. You could also create an ethical behavior award to give to employees who go above and beyond. Whatever you do, make sure you’re genuine in your praise and those employees know their behavior is being noticed. By rewarding employees for behaving ethically, companies send a clear message that they value integrity.
Promote corporate social responsibility programs: Many businesses have corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, but few employees know about them. If you want to promote an ethical culture, make sure your CSR programs are well-publicized and easy to get involved in. Popular CSR programs include volunteering, environmental initiatives, and charitable giving. Employees should be able to see how their work is making a positive impact on the world. By promoting CSR programs, businesses can show employees that they care about more than just making money. Promote engagement in these programs and make it clear that ethical behavior extends beyond the workplace.
These are just a few of the ways businesses can improve their ethical culture. By taking these steps, companies can make themselves more attractive to job candidates and create a better work environment for everyone.
Trusted Business Leader, Team Builder, Results and Growth Focused
2 年Clara, Very well written and spot on. My experience is that trust is a key element. Earning trust is different than being granted trust and it is critical for all successful relationships internal to an organization and external.
Director, North America Public Sector, Solution Consulting
2 年Couldn't agree more!
Business Development Executive
2 年There have been times in my career when unethical behavior was present asking me to compromise my integrity. There should not be an instance when I am asked to be unethical-I should not have to defend my integrity. There is more at risk than revenue when unethical practice are prevalent in the workplace.
ISC2 Member | CISSP | AWS Certified | Scrum Master | A friendly "Get Stuff Done" person is here. Do you think you're ready to automate the boring stuff?
2 年Thank you ?? for sharing this very important article. I am super happy that both of us have moved on and working for better organizations who embrace everything you listed here. You also mentioned important points on the previous article. I keep sharing to everyone willing to learn and have an open discussion. The above are critical organizational processes and policies to implement. A typical miss from individuals and leaders I can add are below: 1. Lack of knowledge in self branding, awareness in their own strengths. Too many use KPIs for success by highlighting something they lack or are perceived weaknesses. Comparison syndrome rather than collaborative sharing of everyone’s strength. 2. Too many say, let’s treat others like human beings and are unable to define and reach a common understanding of empathy between each other and valuing diverse perspectives. 3. Leaders are still too focused on numbers and reports with no understanding of the context and how people themselves need to be supported and coached. I am choosing the word “coach” rather than lead. I think too many have a misunderstanding that leading means dominating and always having the answer to solve problems. It needs to be true collaboration.