Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act
As a manager you’re going to find yourself in the position where your decision making skills are tested.

While you may, at times, feel as though you are guided by your own morals and beliefs, it is very important for you to remember to put your personal beliefs aside so that you can look at each situation objectively and make the most ethical decisions possible.

So how can you achieve this? 

What are managerial ethics? How can we define ethics in management?

AZCentral describes managerial ethics as ‘referring to the moral guidance a supervisor provides his employees.

No one ethical approach is universally accepted, so each business owner must choose his own approach to ethical management. Many ethical approaches exist, each with a distinct twist on what it means to behave ethically’.

So, it can be seen from many different perspectives. Chron.com comments that ‘Managerial ethics is a basic part of business ethics. It is the set of moral principles or beliefs that affect the behaviour of employees.

While most people automatically assume that ethics directly correlates to laws, this isn’t always the case. Doing the right thing for employees and customers and demonstrating the willingness to go the extra mile also falls under managerial ethics.’

The answer to the question ‘what is managerial ethics?’ differs according to the situation we are in.

There are many examples of ethical management out there.

Ethical management is the practice of being honest and virtuous in a role as a manager. Management training will help you with this and there are several responsibilities and obligations of an ethical manager, including setting a good example, holding everyone to the same standard, and making expectations clear. In order to do this, there are four main principles of ethical management you need to keep in mind at all times.

They are as follows:

  • Respect for each employee – While it’s difficult at times, it is important to make sure you treat each of your employees or team members respectfully. Everyone you work with will have different religious and cultural beliefs and should be treated fairly. That’s why Equality and Diversity Training is so important.
     
  • Mutual respect – Your role as a manager involves making sure that your employees all treat each other respectfully as well. While they don’t all have to agree with each other, they should show proper respect for each other’s ideas and opinions. A team that doesn’t get along on a personal level will not work will together and will be less productive no matter what you try to do to boost team morale.
     
  • Procedural fairness – You may not have control of the procedures your company expects you to follow but you do have control over the procedures you can implement within your team. It is important to make sure the procedures you implement are fair to all of your employees – neither favouring nor neglecting one employee or another.
     
  • Decision making transparency – It’s incredibly important for you to make sure your employees understand why you make the decisions you do. If they realise you aren’t making arbitrary choices based on personal beliefs, they’ll be more likely to accept your decisions and work together as a team.

Are you acting as ethically as possible in the workplace?

Are there things you could change so that you and your team get along on a more professional level?

The ethical managers test

Some of you may have heard these questions before but I think they’re a fun way to bring the true consequences of unethical thinking into light.

Consider each of the following questions and be honest – you’re the only one who will know your answers.

Ethical dilemma #1

A pregnant woman already has eight children.

Three are deaf, two blind, and one mentally retarded. The pregnant woman herself has syphilis. Should she have an abortion?

Ethical dilemma #2

The world is going to elect one leader and you have the deciding vote.

Each candidate has their own qualities:

Candidate A associates with astrologers and questionable politicians, has had affairs, smokes, and drinks heavily.

Candidate B was kicked out of office two times, sleeps late into the day, drinks heavily, and used opium in college.

Candidate C is a decorated war hero, non-smoker, vegetarian, occasional drinker, and has been faithful in all of his relationships.

Who would you choose?

Do you have your answers?

First, if you answered YES to recommending an abortion you would have killed Beethoven.

As for the politicians. The first is Franklin D. Roosevelt, the second Winston Churchill, and the third Adolph Hitler.

The point here is that there is always more to a decision than meets the eye.

It’s important to ask questions and make educated decisions rather than jumping to conclusions based on the initial set of facts given to us.

Sometimes those gathering the facts are biased or they’re just plain misleading. It’s up to you to sort fact from fiction and make the most ethical decisions possible.

The ethical principles of people management

All eyes are on you.

Remember that the ethics you display at work are going to have a direct impact on the way your people behave and ultimately, perform. Most Management Development Programmes will cover management ethics because they set the standards for all others to follow.

Take a few moments to ask yourself a few questions in an effort to assess your own ethics in the workplace:

Do I have a specific set of beliefs? 

If so, what are they? Do you think about your beliefs as you work towards the goals you have set for yourself in life? Do your beliefs impact the people that you manage? Do they impact the decisions you make?

What are my goals? 

Do you have them written down so that you can remind yourself of them whenever necessary? Having goals will encourage you to work hard and make sure that everything we do is of the highest quality and are in alignment.

Do I need to enhance my skills? 

Are there any additional skills that you need to help develop your own skills and to help the people that you manage? Do you need some management skills training to help you? What books can you read? What videos and audios can you consume? Are you committed to developing those skills so that you can move forward?

What are my standards? 

Do you have a set level of standards that directly reflects the ethics you have put in place for yourself? Would you prefer mediocrity or only the highest quality of work? Is there ever a time to make an exception?

Do I practice what I preach? 

Do you tell your people to set standards, deliver high quality work, and treat each other respectfully and then give them a role model to look at? Do you act the way you want others to act and treat them as you would be treated? Are you setting a positive example for your employees?

Want some additional resources on ethical management?

Below are links to 2 valuable articles that will provide you with some additional information and knowledge on the topic.

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

If you’re looking to improve your management and leadership skills we have a FREE Online Management Course that you can sign up to. The course consists of 5 online videos and supporting documentation to help.

Thanks again

Sean

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

Sean McPheat

Managing Director

MTD Training   

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act


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Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act
In today’s age, it is imperative that companies work in the most ethical way.

Customers and partners demand transparency, and the Internet makes it possible for an issue or scandal to break in a matter of seconds.

Despite this IBE survey found that 20% of British employees have witnessed misconduct at their workplace.

A more frightening statistic is that 61% of respondents claimed they were not happy with the outcome of voicing their concerns over the misconduct.

How can managers work more ethically and upkeep or improve their organisation’s image?

With these three ways.

Focus On The Employees

A big mistake that many leaders make is to consider that ethics is solely the responsibility of the management.

As such, they are the only ones to attend management training on this topic, or be knowledgeable about what is or is not ethical.

What’s important to understand is that the entire company is one team, and every single person needs to know what is and is not appropriate to do in the workplace.

Additionally, managers must establish clear consequences for someone who breaks the ethics code so that everyone knows that they cannot get away with it.

Consider setting up a business etiquette programme in your office to educate your team about your ethics policy.

Create A Safe Space

Unfortunately, a manager cannot be everywhere at once, which is why they need to rely on their staff members to report any and all misconduct to them.

The problem is that individuals are hesitant to do this because they are scared of repercussions, such as being bullied by colleagues, being demoted or losing their job altogether.

It is essential that leaders create a safe space where employees know they can come to them to speak their mind.

You must make your team feel comfortable and know they can always turn to you to report anything they have witnessed or suspect.

But you must also hold your end of the bargain to keep their anonymity and protect their jobs.

Plus, you have to act to correct the misconduct instead of just listening to it and doing nothing, otherwise no one will bother to come to you anymore.

Be Transparent

For a manager to be ethical, it’s imperative to be honest and upfront with their workers.

Most of the issues arise when leaders try to hide something from their staff, even if they think it may be in their own best interest.

When you are honest with your staff about possible problems, you can use their support and creativity to fix them.

After all, multiple heads are better than one!

And if that’s not reason enough to be transparent – remember the results of this study that showed that transparency is not only good for ethics, it’s good for overall business success!

Want to improve your management skills further?

Here are 2 great resources to help you:

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

If you’d like some additional training then we have a FREE Online Management course that you can take. It consists of 5 topics and covers all of the essential management skills that you need.

Thanks again

Sean

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

Sean McPheat

Managing Director

MTD Training   

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

Updated on: 1 September, 2017


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Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act
There might have been many times when you got into a healthy political debate with a friend; however, talking politics at the workplace is very different.

While you can tell a buddy that you believe he is wrong, and even raise your voice in a friendly debate match, the same behaviours at work can leave colleagues upset and uncomfortable.

While it is not necessary to prohibit political talk at work, there are strategies to do so without offending anyone, which we will provide in this blog.

Know Your Audience – It is very likely that you have gotten to know some of your co workers very well, eating lunches together and going out to the pub after work for years.

With these people, you may feel more comfortable expressing your true opinion and being more risque. However, a different strategy needs to be in place for talking about possible sensitive subjects with staff, bosses or other colleagues you are not as familiar with.

For example, you may have a very traditional view when it comes to gay marriage, but you don’t want to offend anyone with your views, especially not knowing their lifestyle choices and preferences. Therefore, in certain situations, it may be wiser to listen more than contribute, or possibly remain quiet. If you are asked for your opinion directly, you can state that you are undecided or simply prefer not to get into the conversation.

Agree to Disagree – If you are put on the spot, or simply feel you must contribute your piece to the discussion about politics, you must be able to stop yourself from coming on too strong.

Even if your opinion is not the most popular one, and you simply cannot prove your point enough to get anyone on your side, you must, at some point, agree to disagree.

Remember that the workplace is a professional environment where employees must be cordial and respectful of others. This mentality has to apply to all situations, even possibly heated or sensitive discussions. If you feel yourself or the other person getting angry, simply state that you would like to agree to disagree, and walk away.

Maintain Your Credibility – An important rule for talking about politics is to be current in your knowledge.

One of the most embarrassing things that can happen in a political debate is being caught with incorrect or outdated information.

Politics is ever-changing, with new developments happening constantly. If someone brings up a point that you are not familiar with, don’t lie or make up an answer, but be confident enough to say that you are not familiar with this development enough to comment on it.

Political talk at work can quickly escalate into a heated argument, making participants feel angry, uncomfortable and upset. This can lead to ineffective and unproductive work days, which are not acceptable at work.

Follow these tips to talk politics at the office without offending anyone.

Many Thanks

Mark Williams

Head of Training and Development

MTD Training   

Which of the following is one of the four principles that guides how ethical companies act

Updated on: 17 September, 2015