How can we determine what the right and ethical thing to do is without a moral code to guide us?
The answer is we can’t and shortcuts inevitably will lead to ethical lapses.
There are many organizations and companies that deem it important to put on their websites and in other written communications what their values are, their purpose, and overall mission statement. How can this work when employees, particularly executives and managers continue to build their own silos and generally put their own interests first?
Have things really changed in corporate America with regard to creating positive and ethical cultures or are companies walking through the motions to look good?
I happen to believe that our morality is slipping and things haven’t changed much in the way of ethical behavior.
One of the telling signs is to talk directly with talented men and women who have experienced a downsizing or two in the last couple of years or so.
When asked about the type of work environments they experienced, they tell me that morals based ethical cultures were not present and emphasized at all. Employee dissension, dissatisfaction, and executives doing what was best for them was prevalent and common.
These types of companies and organizations experience high turnover and find it difficult to attract quality candidates who value other things besides working and turning into slaves.
Interestingly, there have been a number of surveys and studies indicating that morals based cultures tend to be more successful, ethical, more profitable, and able to sustain themselves better over time.
You would think that executives and owners would pay close attention to this and care about exit interviews. More importantly, they should be paying close attention to the lives and welfare of all workers.
I think I speak for most workers who want to contribute to the success of an organization and be appreciated for their efforts. Companies who go the extra yard and lengths to accomplish this every day place a high emphasis on creating positive and ethical cultures.
They care about equality, fairness, and respect for each other.
The success of any enterprise can be attributed to their people. When ethical cultures and morality starts at the top and works its way down, it becomes the DNA that binds everyone together as a team.
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