Business Ethics And Unethical Practices- A Debate

Dear Folks,

I am raising a new hot topic for debate and discussion. Over the years, being in the HR profession, I have been closely watching, experiencing, and hearing about the unethical practices that exist in many businesses.

I have also noticed that a couple of companies are very good at ethical practices and are known for their people-friendly policies. Nowadays, in many organizations, a lot of unethical practices exist, like people being forced to do personal work for their bosses, needing to give unwanted favors to advance their careers, secure better increments, or get shortlisted for desirable postings, etc.

I don't want to elaborate much on personal favors as it is a problem in the IT and ITES sectors but is less prevalent in other industries. The practice of receiving financial and non-financial gratifications from vendors and suppliers is also widespread, and recently, a major MNC was in the news for that. This issue is particularly prominent in manufacturing organizations. Other practices such as victimization of whistleblowers, bullying, and public scolding are also observed. In most cases, senior employees get away with such behavior, while junior employees suffer.

I request learned professionals worldwide to suggest ways to cope with this menace and how to eradicate these practices from businesses. Your contributions will be invaluable for young professionals facing such situations on their own or those who can assist affected employees. You are encouraged to critically evaluate the topic and provide your insights.

I personally hope and trust that this will be an interesting topic for this month, and with your contributions, we can all make a resolution to ensure our organizations are ethical in their practices.

Regards,

Deepali

Hi Dipali,

Indeed, a very relevant topic to discuss in today's times. In fact, I had also expressed something similar from the perspective of a recruitment department in a company and how rampant the unethical practices are.

Reference: #51366

Regards,
Raghavendra

Hi Raghavendra,

I was really not aware that it came today in Times of India as I wasn't having time this morning to go through the newspaper. Thanks for the information.

Deepali

Do you think we can stop this? Can we refuse their orders or work, whether it is personal or official?

Hi Manish,

You should be very balanced in each and every situation. Some people take small things personally, and they feel that it was done to hurt them emotionally. Likewise, we can see two recent examples on CiteHR itself. One was the posting done by Mr. Sanjeev "Who is HR professional and who is not." Another one was done by me "Is this Legal or illegal." These postings were done for general discussion and awareness, but some people took it personally and passed on insulting and sarcastic comments. These postings were not done actually for the same reason.

The same applies here, you are in the office to do office work. Some or the other time we share personal things also, but that doesn't mean to take everything for granted. A person who knows your personal matters has a hand on, as his priority is always his career in his life. You should take it officially only. There is nothing personal in it. Getting personal on the basis of official matters is not ethical.

I hope you got the answer.

Deepali

Hi Everyone,

No fair, we are here to solve the existing problems. Seeing 18 views and 2 comments, what else can I say? Not happening. I was not expecting this??

Deepali

Hi everyone,

This is indeed a very debated topic. But I wish we could have stopped this. But again, is it possible? Unethical behavior is prevalent in every kind of service sector, whether private or public.

You have to put a stop to it somewhere or sometime. We cannot fight for all. But if every individual knows how to deal with their issue, it would become easier. I have also noticed many such unethical behaviors in my organization. Misbehavior by bosses, getting their personal jobs done, etc. But then, all bosses are not the same. So, such people should be handled or dealt with accordingly. I have no sympathy for this. We are all working as colleagues under the same roof, being paid by our employer. The boss is a boss by his position, but all are first human beings. I do revolt in certain cases. I do intervene as an HR person in many cases. I do advise my junior colleagues in certain cases. I am happy about that. But I have not always been successful because I need the person to deal directly and not always through HR.

So please, friends, learn to say 'NO' at times when you feel it is really not ethical. Thanks

AnnM

I have been seeing similar things happening in my org for a long time now. The boss asking us to do his son's and wife's homework (she being a teacher) is one of them. Initially, I thought it was just a one-time thing like collecting info on TAJ for his kid, but there was no stopping after that. Also, if he wants to score in someone else's good books, you have to hire his ref at a higher salary, even if he is not deserving enough. All this needs to stop.

Mixing around, helping each other is good, but one has to draw a line somewhere. I hope we all will keep this in mind and remember this discussion when we reach that level.

Hi Ann,

You are taking a step forward, that's really nice. I want to know, is it really working in your organization. You can be an inspiration for others. We may have a lot of people here who want to take this step but can't because they hesitate and they panic as well.

Do reply.

Deepali

Hi,

This is a really difficult issue because some practices can be unethical to some and ethical to others. Of course, when we talk about making another employee do your wife's teaching work, there can be no discussion, and these things should not happen at all - this, I believe, we can all agree upon.

Anyway, I have just read this article, and I believe it strikes a chord with all of us - read it and see if you agree.

Kind regards,
Randi

URL: [http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews022707](http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews022707)

I recently read an interesting article about how employers can make mistakes in regards to those who push the ethical envelope and are even considered bullies. Who knew that sometimes we need to take a closer look inside at how we handle these violators. Interesting and eye-opening article from HRTools.com: [Common Mistakes Made Regarding Bullying in the Workplace](http://www.hrtools.com/insights/margie_mcgovern/common_mistakes_made_regarding_bullying_in_the_wor kplace.aspx)