UNETHICAL PRACTICES IN A

WORKPLACE
S.NO. REGISTRATION NO. NAME PEER RATING

1 12111892 BIRAHIMA SACKO 8

2 12111931 RITISH 9

3 12111958 MANOJ KR BISWAS 7

4 12112011 PRANJAL RANA 10

5 12112016 SAHIL CHAWLA 9

INTRODUCTION
• Any workplace behaviour that deviates from the community's accepted moral
standards is considered unethical.
• Unethical behaviour at work can take many different shapes and have many
different aims. Everyone has the potential to act unethically in varying degrees,
harming societies, organisations, coworkers, and even oneself.
• People who engage in purposeful immoral activity are aware that they are
transgressing moral boundaries and behave on purpose. People who choose to act
unethically may do so for selfish reasons, but they may also do it as a result of
circumstances where all viable options have an ethical cost. Another name for this
kind of deliberate behaviour is counterproductive work behaviour.
• Contrarily, people may act unethically because they are unaware that they are
going against morality. These unintentionally unethical actions may result from,
among other things, failing to consider relevant facts while making a choice,
failing to recognise the ethical implications of a choice, or even failing to
understand what is right and wrong in a certain culture.
• THIS SURVEY was conducted recently to gather the views of people from
different professions on various unethical practices that take place in a workplace.
This report studies in depth the various factors that lead to unethical behaviour in
work environment and also the ways to prevent these situations.
• People from 5 different professions ( Employed, student, teacher, government
employee, entrepreneurs) were surveyed and their responses were analyzed to
create this report to better understand the different views on the questions posed.
• We have used online mode of survey which is typically produced by Google
forms. With the help of various form fields and features, you can build
your survey from start using these platforms' form builders. Online surveys
often have a narrower margin of error than paper surveys, which is one of
its numerous benefits. Additionally, because you can distribute online
surveys to respondents via email or social media, they are simpler to
manage.
QUESIONNAIRE AND ITS ANALYSIS

• Respondents were asked for their occupation so that we could analyze views of people from
all the various professions in order to get a better and detailed idea of the unethical practices.
• Out of the 12 respondents we surveyed:
• 4 were students, which equals 33.3%
• 2 were entrepreneurs, which equals 16.7%
• 2 were employed, 16.7%
• 2 were government employees, 16.7% And 2 were teachers, 16.7%
Common unethical practices that takes place in a workplace:
• Here, we can see the common unethical behaviour that takes place in most
environments.
• Lying is the most common practice which makes for total of 41.7% people
voting for it.
• Unfriendly work environment is next on the list of common unethical
behaviors with a total of 33.3%.
• 25% of the respondents witness exploitation/ unrealistic
expectations in their workplaces.
• About 25% of the respondents have also threw a light on the problem of
Unpaid overtime.
• Among other unethical practices, 16.7% have also reported
Abuse/harassment to be an issue faced in their work environments.
• Data breaching and Corrupt practices are some of the many practices
listed above with 16.7% each.
• Nepotism is another practice that can be seen being practiced in a
workplace with a ratio of 8.3%.
• Theft/Embezzlement is also reported by 8.3% of the respondents.
• 33.3% have responded for various other practices which include
Knowledge hiding, Property deviance and sabotage, Aggression,
Abusive leadership, Alcohol and drug use/abuse and many more.
•  
Factors that lead to unethical behaviour in workplace:
• About 58% of the people voted Fear of speaking up as a major factor that is
leading to unethical behaviour in a workplace
• Ignorance: 50% ignorance may unwittingly result in immoral actions
toward or disregard of others
• Many businesses make the error of believing that their staff members are
aware of which actions are unethical. And hence 41.7% respondents voted
for Lack of training as a factor causing unethical behaviour.
• 33.3% of people think Pressure to succeed is another important cause
employees to act unethically.
• No code of ethics: 33.3% They might be unethical if they don't have a
code of ethics.
• 25% of the respondents believe that if a manager is not serious and
performing professionally, then his subordinates will soon follow suit. And
hence voted for Poor management.
• About 8.3% respondents believe that peer pressure is another factor
causing unethical behaviour in a workplace.
• 8.3% interviewees said that there is No policy for reporting of the
unethical behaviour.
• Conflict of interests is another cause as voted by 8.3% of the people.
Steps taken to prevent unethical practices :
• Reinforcing consequences: 58.3%
• Good management:
• 50%
• Promotion of knowledge, creation of code of ethics,
establishment of proper guidelines each received 50% votes by the
respondents
• Appreciation of loyal employees: 33.3%
• Fostering ethical behaviour: 16.7%
• About 8.3% respondents also voted that check and balances are being
followed in their workplaces to prevent unethical behaviour.
Personal ethics assessment:

• Respondents were asked to rank themselves on various ethical

characteristics. The Ethics Self-Assessment tool is designed for individual
usage and helps the user reflect on their own ethical leadership and
behaviour.
• Do you maintain appropriate confidentiality?
• The Ethics Self-Assessment helped us identify:
•  Areas in which you are on strong ethical ground
•  Areas that you may wish to examine, including the basis for your
responses;
•  Opportunities for further reflection.
• The Ethics Self-Assessment can help you pinpoint areas where you have a
solid ethical foundation, those where you might want to examine the
assumptions behind your responses, and chances for further reflection. We
don't think that ethical behaviour can or should be measured, so the Ethics
Self-Assessment doesn't have a scoring system.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• To clarify the limits inside your corporation, create a code of ethics that
outlines the fundamental principles and values of your business. The
Code of Ethics emphasises equal opportunity, a no retaliation policy,
zero-tolerance for discrimination and harassment, and encourages
employees to speak up and report ethics violations.
• Establish transparency in your company by setting a good example.
Establish constant management communication and create a
programme for whistleblowers to disclose violations without fear of
reprisal.
• All organisational levels should be reminded of the repercussions of
unethical behaviour in the workplace, and everyone should be held
responsible through regular performance assessments, disciplinary
actions, and potential termination of employment.
• Invest in technological solutions to replace manual operations that
can result in fraud and improper handling. Automated solutions
increase efficiency by ensuring that training programmes, conflicts of
interest, and third parties are all carried out uniformly throughout the
firm. The performance and successes of programmes improve as a
result of technology use.
• Establish a system of checks and balances for your company. Conduct
annual audits to ensure processes are being followed, and advise the
creation of new procedures to handle special circumstances that may
emerge throughout the year, such as those that accompany a merger
or acquisition or the introduction of a new global payment system. To
prevent abuses and wrongdoing at work, identify conflicts of interest
and set levels of controls and permissions.
• To conduct orientation for new hiring and continuous training for
staff, please welcome a speaker on workplace ethics. Include ethics
in programmes for developing leaders, and teach managers how to
interact with and address employee issues.
• Integrate ethics into the selection procedure. It is always
advantageous to take into account a candidate's experience and
education, but it's also important to find out whether they share
the same values as the business to make sure they'll support its
mission and culture.
• By giving employees praise for their ethical contributions in
performance reviews, rewards, and company newsletters, you can
demonstrate your appreciation to your staff. The tone set at the top
boosts productivity and morale among employees.
• To demonstrate responsibility, adherence to company principles,
and ethical leadership, management must set an example. The
business choices made by your company should be ethical. The
reputation of the employee, management, and the organisation in
the community it serves are directly impacted by daily choices and
deeds. An organisation is shielded from legal proceedings like
lawsuits, enforcement actions, fines, and a loss of shareholder trust
by an effective compliance and ethics programme. Create a solid
ethical foundation and make sure that every employee is committed
to following it.
•