Unethical Behavior
Unethical Behavior
By: Ashly Pappas
CJA/473
It’s sad to say that employees in almost every business will encounter unethical behavior. When employees see other employees doing something wrong because of the company’s standards, so this makes employees question what is right and wrong. When employees find that other employees are doing something that is wrong, that employee needs to consider how they feel about this and who to inform. When employees discover unethical behavior this can lead to a number of difficult choices, like if the employee should speak to the individual directly or speak to the company supervisor. To help make decisions like this easier companies have to come up with techniques like creating a company policy in writing that is signed by each employee. This helps to decide what to do when things like this happen. A clear outline is to be given of what is expected of each employee. This outline should note who to contact if unethical behavior is witnessed. This will show people how to do it and show less hesitation with reporting unethical behaviors. Unethical behaviors should be clearly stated and people witnessing unethical behavior need to report it to supervisors right away so it can be dealt with accordingly and so it won’t get overwhelming for other employees. Unethical behavior can be costly to organizations with the diminished of public trust, tarnished organizational reputation, and lost profits. Punishment has shown to reduce unethical behavior. But punishment can also give implications beyond the punished individual. Supervisors should investigate these unethical behaviors. Studies have shown that punishment can influence productivity and attitudes. Punishment may be important, or if not more important than the punished individual. For example an employee who is terminated, the employee who was terminated their reaction is probably less significant than those who remain employed. Expectations are considered a major determinant
By: Ashly Pappas
CJA/473
It’s sad to say that employees in almost every business will encounter unethical behavior. When employees see other employees doing something wrong because of the company’s standards, so this makes employees question what is right and wrong. When employees find that other employees are doing something that is wrong, that employee needs to consider how they feel about this and who to inform. When employees discover unethical behavior this can lead to a number of difficult choices, like if the employee should speak to the individual directly or speak to the company supervisor. To help make decisions like this easier companies have to come up with techniques like creating a company policy in writing that is signed by each employee. This helps to decide what to do when things like this happen. A clear outline is to be given of what is expected of each employee. This outline should note who to contact if unethical behavior is witnessed. This will show people how to do it and show less hesitation with reporting unethical behaviors. Unethical behaviors should be clearly stated and people witnessing unethical behavior need to report it to supervisors right away so it can be dealt with accordingly and so it won’t get overwhelming for other employees. Unethical behavior can be costly to organizations with the diminished of public trust, tarnished organizational reputation, and lost profits. Punishment has shown to reduce unethical behavior. But punishment can also give implications beyond the punished individual. Supervisors should investigate these unethical behaviors. Studies have shown that punishment can influence productivity and attitudes. Punishment may be important, or if not more important than the punished individual. For example an employee who is terminated, the employee who was terminated their reaction is probably less significant than those who remain employed. Expectations are considered a major determinant
References: The Social Implications of Punishing Unethical Behavior: Observers’ Cognitive and Affective Reactions. Linda Klebe Trevino. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4256/is_n4_v18/ai_13928528/ Unethical Behavior. It’s Impact on Today’s Workplace. http://www.anonymousemployee.com/csssite/sidelinks/unethical_behavior.php