Ethics

GOOD ETHICS 5

Organizationalethical climate

Anethical climate is about good values and principles in anorganization, which shape employees’ relations with each other. Itinvolves integrity and respect in all undertakings in the workingenvironment for optimal performance of all people. The moralatmosphere also influences decision making by people in workplaces onissues that highly undermine the very principles and values thatorganizations are built upon. People react in different ways whenfaced with a dilemma in the work environment. Some individuals chooseto engage in unethical behaviors for money or other benefits. Thishas often led to breaking of law and order in the workplace (Ching,Kee, &amp Tan 2016). Conflicts occur when one party does not agreeto an arrangement by another, jeopardizing the opportunities of aperson in the organization. Very often, a person is caught betweenhonoring the moral atmosphere and covering up for a friend. In eitherway, the outcomes are negative for the parties involved. The ethicalclimate is necessary for smooth relations in organizations. It isessential for employees to uphold good values to promote an ethicalclimate in the work setting.

Importanceof ethical climate and bias impacting moral decision making

Anethical climate is essential in providing guidelines to employees onhow to relate to each other in an organization despite theirbackground. This protects the values and principles held by a groupfrom abuse. Ethical climate provides a favorable environment for allemployees and encourages good work principles. For example, law andorder clearly outline the responsibilities and duties of every personin the organization. This sets out the daily expectations of a personin an organization under the guidance and support of a set of valuesand principles regarded by an organization. It is what defines anorganization and gives it the image it displays to the public (Jiang,Hu, Hong, Liao, &amp Liu, 2016).

Manypeople working in organizations share a common background in eithereducation or experiences. Others have blood relationships or are inemotional relationships. Apparently, the person expects the sametreatment and sacrifice from the other party. This has significantlyled to bias in moral decision-making. People have ignored values andprinciples as well as the laid down procedures in an organizationwhen people involved are their close friends, relatives or spouses.In some circumstances, people have also made biased decision makingto influence their personal interests. Power has been abused tosettle differences between different parties in organizations too. Inall these situations, the moral atmosphere of organizations isundermined challenging the quality of services and products. This, inturn, affects the image of an organization.

Ethicaldilemma

Anethical dilemma happened in XYZ Company, which involved a securityguard. The role of a security officer at XYZ (a milk processing firm)is to ensure that all products entering and leaving the premise arecleared at the gate. On Saturday afternoon, Steve, a security officerfinds his colleague leaving the premises with milk products that wereobtained illegally from the store. The security firm and the companyboth highly condemn stealing and have created an enabling environmentto curb this through guiding values and principles. Steve understandsthe economic that his colleague is facing. Steve sympathizes with hispartner and allows him to go out of the facility with the milkproducts obtained illegally from the store. The security officer iscaught between upholding company values and allowing his friend to gowith the milk home. Steve ignores company policies and allows hiscolleague to go with the milk without clearance at the gate.

Howthe issue could have been handled

OfficerSteve should have approached his partner and advice him what he isdoing is wrong. Steve should have stopped his partner from taking themilk from the company because it amounted to stealing, which isagainst good principles. Officer Steve should have asked themanagement to offer his colleague a packet of milk to support thefamily. This way, both employees would not risk losing their jobs.Both employees should be honest. The officer in charge shouldencourage his colleague to be honest. Steve should have consideredobedience to the outlined rules in the milk company. The officershould report about the incidence because it is the right thing todo.

Ethicalprinciple applicable

TheUtilitarianism Theory claims that every action should maximizehappiness and minimize pain (Barrow, 2015). This theory can beapplied in the ethical dilemma above. The officer should upholdhonesty, which promotes the idea of happiness. The utilitarianapproach guides people to do the right thing. Steve should havereported about the theft case because it is wrong. The human resourcemanager should ensure capacity building through training employeesabout good values and principles. All employees should observe goodmorals, which include honest, transparency, and obedience. Steve andhis colleague should not steal from the company they should followcompany policies and do the right thing.

References

Barrow,R. (2015). Utilitarianism:A contemporary statement.New York: Routledge.

Ching,S. L., Kee, D. M. H., &amp Tan, C. L. (2016). The Impact of EthicalWork Climate on the Intention to Quit of Employees in Private HigherEducational Institutions.

Jiang,K., Hu, J., Hong, Y., Liao, H., &amp Liu, S. (2016). Do it well anddo it right: The impact of service climate and ethical climate onbusiness performance and the boundary conditions. Journalof Applied Psychology,101(11),1553.