The importance of ethical work culture

An ethical work culture to one’s job benefits both the company and the individual. NET PHOTO.

What you need to know:

  • Third, new personnel need to be socialised into the organisation so as to advance virtuous values. As a way of promoting and influencing ethical behavior, it is very powerful for new employees to hear managerial leaders espouse core virtuous values and to see those values affirmed through the actions of others in the organisation.

Upholding of ethical work culture contributes a lot to a person’s career development and benefits the organisation that has employed them.

Ethical work culture is about an individual’s attitude towards work such as being self-driven and able to work with minimal supervision.

Dr Krisna N. Sharma, the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University says an employee’s ethics are critical to the quality of their work.
Dedicated employees who uphold their integrity will want to deliver the best possible quality of work.

“These kinds of people go through their work at least three times before delivering it. They only deliver once they believe what they have done is the best,” he said.
Sharma believes this type of behaviour will encourage employers to assign the employee more responsibilities that result into career growth and likewise promotion.

“To achieve this, always put it in your mind that what you did yesterday was not enough and look for different ways of making your tomorrow better than today,” he advises.

The vice chancellor notes that if you were a winner yesterday keep on the speed of yesterday so that someone will not come and overtake you.
Sam Bwaya the executive director of Institute Culture and Work Ethics, an institute that seeks to change people’s mindset at work places says it is important to keep looking for new ways of doing things and ideas so as to develop one’s career.

“If all people at workplaces upheld ethical work culture, it would lead to improved value of work leading to the growth of companies which will then be able to improve salaries for staff,” he notes.
He advises employees to always do their own reviews and embrace new assignments which challenge them to get out of their comfort zones and grow.

Putting work ethic into practice

At least five practices help leaders encourage ethical behaviour and conduct in their organisations.
First, any gap between knowledge about what to do and actual actions needs to be closed. If you know what the right thing to do is, just do it.

Second, managerial leaders must be very deliberate about who joins their organisation. Many leaders believe that selecting people for their values is as important as selecting for skill sets. Jim Collins, in his compelling book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, underscores how long-term success depends on selecting people who share your virtuous values.

Third, new personnel need to be socialised into the organisation so as to advance virtuous values. As a way of promoting and influencing ethical behavior, it is very powerful for new employees to hear managerial leaders espouse core virtuous values and to see those values affirmed through the actions of others in the organisation.

Fourth, accountability and follow-up are critical in putting virtuous values into practice. Systems and procedures can remind people of commitments and help connect words or promises with deeds. In organisations with behavioural integrity, words and deeds count.

Finally, managerial leaders can positively impact the practice of ethical behavior by fairly allocating organisational resources and linking them appropriately. Managerial leaders who value justice and fairness are more likely to deal the cards fairly — thereby modeling ethical behavior — than are those who do not.