Two Basic Requirements to Have an Ethical Culture

Management the Machiavellian Way

Some Managers are so focused on the financial goal that they believe any means of getting there is justified. Reasons are falsified to further their own status and position at the expense of others. This includes bending the ethical rules and relying on questionable behavior such as:

1. Monitoring employee emails & online behavior
   On the surface this seems acceptable when an employee’s behavior has come into question and the security of the business is at stake. Too often, this crosses over into the dangerously unethical and illegal practice of monitoring someone’s personal communication.
    
2. Monitoring of phone calls
   Leaders in the organization join conference calls unannounced to monitor conversations. Sometimes, this goes as far as wandering past office cubes and conference rooms to eavesdrop on conversations.
    
3. Double standard on work expectations
   Certain employees are targeted to meet unrealistic workload commitments.  While some employees wander in at 9 am and hire extra resources at will, other employees are expected to arrive at 8 am sharp and denied necessary resources to handle the required workload.
    
4. Selective and Biased Approval of Training
   Employees on certain teams are given training opportunities that other employees are denied. You need to ask yourself what the manager has to gain personally? Is there a political benefit?
    
5. Unwarranted Promotions
   Middle managers quickly learn that if they follow the leader’s questionable behavior, their loyalty is rewarded with a new title and promotion. They learn this by watching how others around them rise to the top.

Management the Ethical Way

According to the Volkov Law Group, trust and integrity are the foundation of an ethical work culture. An ethical work culture is not only the right environment from a human perspective, but also drives financial benefits since it directly affects the bottom line.

A culture of trust depends on transparency, equal treatment of similarly situated personnel and respect.

A culture of integrity depends on senior executives conducting themselves at a high standard, promoting the company’s code of conduct, and adhering to ethical standards.

If a manager is truly interested in leading their employees, a direct conversation with that employee is the best option. The fact that managers’ behavior is in question is a reflection of the corporate environment. Good employees do not want to be associated with a company that fosters an unethical work environment. It may be time to refresh managers’ skills on ethics and compliance and make some changes in middle management.

Is it time to update your corporate compliance training program?

Learn how to write effective training objectives with this “Free Guide: 5 Tips for Writing Effective Objectives.”