Business Ethics… is it a beachfront eroded by time?

Why Today’s Direction may give rise to Tomorrow’s Dereliction??...

We all love our “hard chargers”, the guys and gals whom cannot seem to fail at anything they do leaving us to wonder, “how do they do it?” Most of us charge ahead in life with an unmistakable sense of ethics and morality but what about the guys and gals we look up to, the ones whom cannot seem to fail… do they hold dear the same values and ethics that we embrace? They maybe kindred spirits of ethical conduct in part, full or not at all???…  A perplexing statement you would agree… which leads us to explore what impact it all may have on us if any at all?  Also, if it does, how to we recognise it and what we can do about it?

‘Business Ethics’ is defined by Investopedia as “The study of proper business policies and practices.” ‘Ethics’ is defined simply by Business Dictionary.com as “the basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct.” It appears that the concept of proper business practice infused with common decency is nothing new to write about which stands to reason given society’s longevity and apparent ability to change with the times.

However, are darker forces with designs that leave no room for common decency eroding the “beachfront” of ethical behaviour of late? I would say mankind has always struggled with this. As individuals, we should know who really lies to our left and to our right in the workplace. Also, do we associate with a company that satisfies our personal “ethical policy” with “proper business policies and practices” which creates a sustainable future for both the business and the employee?

We have many questions that leave no room for grand assumptions given our need to be happy in life, which is not a right, but an opportunity in the making. People in my observation tend to have intent driving their motives, which drives their decision-making process and over time, it defines who they are as people aswell as professionals. In my view this singular process aggregates into a powerful force impacting business ethics and influencing the ethics of others whom might not embrace certain aspects in better or worse conditions. In appraising your situation, I would focus on the following elements, which I believe to be relevant to good business ethics and a sustainable future.

• ·      Know your “inner self”. Don’t be afraid to self reflect on who you are, your values, your ethical beliefs, your sense of morality noting boundaries and limitations. Also, what are your needs and wants are in life and what kind of work is suited to your personality, your passion and your sense of purpose?
• ·      Contextualise your employment.  Don’t be afraid to investigate your company culture and understand what it actually is versus what it may appear to be initially. Also, a business culture phenomenon known as the giver taker culture should also be understood. Are you a team player giver type or an individualistic taker type? A point to note is the effect ‘takers’ have on ‘givers’. This should be understood before assessing where you would fit into the work environment and its corresponding impact on your life.
• ·      Feel your passion for your job.  If you don’t derive satisfaction from what you do, then you will never to it as well as you could! This denies both employee and employer of potential and thus incurring opportunity cost. Role match is all about the power of employee potential! A business will increase its longevity chances and an employee will increase his or her chances of being happy if passion is felt for his/her work. This is one aspect of sustainable capitalism that applies to all walks of life, not just in business and not just for the lucky few.
• ·      Know the landscape. Business ethics are about doing the job right, but what if the operating environment is making good business ethics ‘restrictive’ or impossible. Big decisions that save the day don’t always get made and the results can inadvertently strangle industries as much as companies. Unethical behaviour and the lack of effective regulation in financial markets gave rise in 2007/08 to a globally impacting shock wave, which hit multiple industries and societies at large. The serious lack of ethics in some quarters had a huge impact on the financial services industry with lower levels of high-level talent entering the industry afterwards and serious questions remain over regulatory approaches to try and make sure it does not happen again.  In the energy industry, oil rig and refinery disasters have raised serious regulatory and safety issues, which are not for the faint of heart.  What if good business ethics drove the big decision in the right direction at the right time? Where would we be today?
• ·      If it doesn’t feel right at all, don’t do it. There is nothing worse then being promised the sun, moon and stars and then be asked to do something that you are not comfortable with. You may have a charismatic leader pushing you into it but don’t be fooled, its your ethics, not his/hers that‘s in question if you don’t put the brakes on. In such cases, seek clarification, slow down the process of request to acceptance to allow you to map out the consequences of such a request. If it’s reconcilable with your core values and beliefs, then I would proceed cautiously, if not, then I would decline. “A stitch in time saves nine” and seeing into the consequences of our actions can save us untold misery into the future even if it comes at a price in the present.
• ·      What do others think of your company and its business ethics? When the opportunity arises, I advise folks to build their digital brands, which gives an individual good navigational skill in social media. It’s a great vehicle to see how others perceive your company’s business ethics. Glassdoor is a dedicated site to employee reviews of their employers and one worth visiting even as a current employee to see how others view your company’s good practice and policy conduct. There are many other resources to investigate your companies current ethical standing which I advise all to use including mass media news sites and social media sites like LinkedIn, Google plus, Twitter, Facebook and U-Tube. I would also look up company earnings reports and hear about plans for the future as presented to potential investors. Does it chime to what you know about the company and what kind of picture does all your research present to you?
• ·      Once is never enough. Repeating this exercise at least once every two years is advised to account for the one certainty in life, which is change. It excuses no one from its grasp and leaves nothing else ‘fixed in the sand’.

The net result of your research is the positioning of the company on business ethics to your personal ethics, values and beliefs. Is it closer or further way then it was the last time you researched it? Do you see the latest result laying out a future path that will make you happy, content, sad our outright miserable? Can you adjust making any negative effects temporary? Do you want to adjust? Companies are like people, if the ethics are good, the person is good… if they are bad or just incompatible, the only real solution is for you to change, or they/it to change. Practicality has to determine your next steps, which should be carefully considered.

When you know, then you are then in a position to think “beachfront” at your current company or a new company where your company’s business ethics are good enough to have an operating space where you can work with the sun shining warmly in your face and fair winds guiding you forward through your career in life.