PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

19SW33
ANBER SATTAR
ETHICAL ISSUES AT WORKPLACE
 WHAT IS
ETHICS
Ethics is defined as a set or theory, of
moral principles or values. Ethics
focuses on dealing with what is good or
bad, right or wrong, and a person’s
duties or obligations. Ethics can be the
set of principles held by an individual or
a group. 
ETHICS AT
WORKPLACE
work ethics can defined as
how an employee chooee to
exist at any job.Work ethics is
the collection of all values and
actions that people are
appropriate at work place
HOW TO TACKLE ETHICAL DILEMMA THAT
ARIESES AT WORK PLACE

Professional behavior often differs from our everyday behavior patterns. At work, you
have to be friendly and polite in situations where you’d be bursting with temper outside
of work. At work, you mostly need to keep emotions (and sometimes opinions) to
yourself. Being different from our everyday life ethics, it can cause dissonance between
what you want to do and what you should do.
 DEALING WTTH UNETHICAL
BEHAVIOUR IN THE
WORKPLACE: WHAT TO DO
Most people will have to deal with issues of ethics at some point in
their working lives. They may find themselves being asked to do
something they disagree with. Or they might come up against
someone in the company who is behaving unethically. Dealing
with these issues can be difficult, and knowing what to do is tough.
In some cases, you might make a report to your boss or even an
outside organization.
 DILEMMA

If someone in my company is doing unethical

work or behaving unethically like he/she
leaking information about my company or
doing something wrong against my company
polices.
DO:
 Seek to understand your colleague’s perspective
why is she acting the way she is?
 Consider the benefits of speaking up against the
potential consequences
 Practice what you’re going to say before calling
out unethical behaviour
DON’T:

 Rationalize the behaviour just because you’re afraid of having a

tough conversation
 Go straight to your boss or HR unless the situation is severe —
try talking directly to your colleague first
 Make moral accusations — ask questions and treat the initial
conversation as information-gathering
 DON’T TAKE ACTION WITHOUT
EVIDENCE

Before I do anything, I need to make sure you know the

facts. that I might suspect something, but I can’t go
around accusing people of things without evidence. First
of all, I need to check that the behaviour you suspect is 
unethical. It might be against industry practices or
perhaps company policy. Secondly, I need to know that
the person is doing it. I should document the behaviour
and try to find witnesses to it as well. I will then have
evidence I can bring to the person or authority I want to
report it to.
 FOLLOW COMPANY
PROCEDURE
If i can, then i should follow company procedure on reporting unethical
behaviour. you might have had training in dealing with these issues. Or might
have an employeehandbook i can look at for advice. If i want to report the
behaviour of a colleague, i should go to our supervisor. However, if supervisor
behaving unethically, i should report to someone above them. If i feel that i am
not getting anywhere, moving up the hierarchy of the company can be a good
idea. However, before escalating, it make sure that i am clear on company
policy.
 WHEN THE ISSUE GOES BEYOND
BEING UNETHICAL
Sometimes, the issue might go further than being unethical; it could
also be illegal. In these cases, need to deal with things differently.
Perhaps the people behaving illegally are higher-ups in the
company. If raise the alarm, this is known as whistle-blowing. If I
decide to take action, it’s a good idea to have legal representation. I
can find an advocate specializing in whistle-blower and fraud who
can give me the protection I need. Whistleblowing can sometimes be
dangerous for our career, so seeking legal help is important
LIFE LESSON