Ethical Lapses

After reading the article "Ethical Lapses Distract US Workers," I was very surprised to learn the statistics about the number of ethical dilemmas that are frequently faced in the workplace. It is actually sad to see so many people reporting that they witness ethical lapses on a regular basis. I guess one of the biggest issues is how our society should help solve this problem before it becomes larger. Since I have been at Clemson, I have seen efforts by the professors to instill good ethics in its students. In my accounting classes the last two semesters, we have had to write papers analyzing a hypothetical ethical dilemma. I personally do not feel like I get much out of these exercises because I do not think ethics is something that can be taught in a classroom. I think that professors can be a positive influence by demonstrating good ethics to their students, but I personally feel that the problem regarding ethics has to be tackled primarily by the individual companies in the workplace.

The article mentions that a company needs to educate its employees about what is appropriate. Different fields will require different approaches to ethics, and I think the company needs to stress the importance of ethical behavior to its employees. By showing employees that they take ethics seriously, companies may have more of an impact on employees. Additionally, the article presents a very good point when it mentions the need to address the smallest problems. I think that many times companies and employees tend to overlook small ethical lapses because they think that it is too small to really hurt anything. The problem is that once you allow some lapses in ethical behavior, people get used to that kind of behavior being acceptable. I guess you can view the problem by saying there will be a "slippery slope." Once small mistakes are allowed, gradually larger slip-ups are going to occur. To show employees that they are serious in the demand for ethical behavior, companies have to address even the tiniest issues. By addressing these problems first, companies can avoid having to encounter larger problems.

Again, I do not think ethics is something that can be easily taught. The best way to "teach" ethics is to lead by example. Companies have to set a good example for their employees to show the importance of demonstrating ethical behavior.