Many organizations address ethics by sponsoring the occasional one- or two-hour training session for their employees. It’s almost as if we treat morals like pollination: one shot and you’re good for life! However, what we do know about learning is that it requires constant exposure to new material in order for it to be incorporated into the employee’s knowledge and behaviour. The same principle also applies to ethics. This short article will suggest ways in which ethics can be incorporated into your existing employee processes.
Start from the beginning: Embed ethics in recruitment and selection materials and processes. If the ability to reason through moral problems is part of the job, why not mention that fact in the job advertisement? In addition, including simple ethical reasoning examples in a job interview can give you insight into candidates’ ethical reasoning as well as emphasize the importance your organization places on ethics.
Start employees in the organization right: Include ethical information in employee orientation materials. This may include reviewing agency codes or state laws that are specifically relevant to your agency as well as policies regarding common ethical issues. These ethical issues will vary from organization to organization, but may include: the receipt of gifts, the use of the organization’s vehicles, computers or other equipment, financial disclosure requirements and rules of favoritism. If your organization has whistleblower protections, include a review of these protections as well as information on how to report any ethical problems they encounter. Our employees become “directors” of our organizations without our direction. Why not choose to put our people on the right track from the start and add ethics to your approach?
Get employees talking about ethics: Incorporate ethics into ongoing discussions in your agency or organization. Perhaps your employee newsletter could include an “ethics column” that discusses common ethical dilemmas your organization faces. Discussing potential ethical dilemmas in work groups can help supervisors guide employees through ethical situations. As a manager, you may be blissfully clueless about how your employees “solve” ethical dilemmas. If you assumed that everyone in your work group thought the same way, you would likely be unpleasantly surprised!
Finally, a focus on ethics in training and development. Encourage supervisors and employees to specify ongoing additional training on ethics and pay attention to ethics as part of the employee’s annual performance and development plans. Paying attention to these factors will help you incorporate ethics into all of your organizational processes.