Ethical behavior in the workplace helps a company ensure that every employee is able to perform there duties in and safe and comfortable environment. When a company set-up procedure to help with work ethics there are three important things to consider; understanding of diversity so that the employees understand the difference between ethics and cultural acts, the next to consider is an open door policy so that employees will be able to discuss ethical behavior with the company, and third is a place that the employee can go in confidence to report unethical behavior.
Ethical procedure should be general and relates to all employees without causing ethical issues dealing with race, religion, or gender. The procedure should be in place to address unethical behavior as stated in laws and regulations. Human resources is the department that will be the handler in the company for ethical behavior and to make sure that all employees are treated equal. The price for a lawsuit in an ethical case is more than taking the time to make sure the procedure are in place and that all employees are trained in ethical behavior.
Many companies take the time to train employees on ethical laws for the industries that they are working in when they first join the company. As we have seen in the news unethical behavior among employees in a company can cost the loss of investors trust. Each department in a company ethics might be different, finance tracking cost and how revenues are tracked, where equipment and tooling money is showing in the financial reports.
For a purchasing department how dollars are collected from suppliers, or kickbacks that are usually not allowed in a company. The most common employee taking money, so with ethical issues like this a confidential hot line is usually established for an outside company to be called and by an employee to snitch on employees who are doing unethical things in the company. What ever procedure that a company might have you must make sure that there is a way for any ethical behavior to be reported and death with the most confidential and legal way.