Essay On Code Of Ethics In The Workplace

1054 Words3 Pages

In this day and age we live in a world that is diverse and very complex. The workplace is no exception to this statement. Employees are expected by companies to behave in an ethical manner towards fellow employees, stakeholders, and customers. Employees are also expected to abide by the law in their actions. In such a complex world this can be quite the challenge. As a result more and more companies are installing social responsibility programs in the workplace. There are several steps that companies need to follow to install a successful social responsibility program and they are vital for not only the program 's success, but also the company 's success.
Social responsibility programs, also known as ethics programs, are very important …show more content…

Codes of conduct are formal statements that describe what an organization expects of its employees. There are three different forms of codes of conduct. The first form is a code of ethics which is the most comprehensive of the three. A code of ethics consists of general statements, sometimes altruistic or inspirational, that serve as principles and as the basis for rules of conduct. A code of ethics generally specifies methods for reporting violations, disciplinary action for violations, and a structure of due process. The next form is a code of conduct which is a written document that may contain some inspirational statements but mainly specifies acceptable and unacceptable types of behavior. A code of conduct is more akin to a regulatory set of rules and, as such, tends to elicit less dealer about specific actions. The final type of ethical statement is a statement of values that serves the general public and also addresses distinct groups such as stakeholders. Values statements are conceived by management and are fully developed with input from stakeholders. Codes of conducts support ethical behavior throughout companies and are an important step in developing a social responsibility …show more content…

Ethics programs must have oversight by high-ranking persons known to respect legal and ethical standards. Ethics officers are responsible for managing their organization 's ethics and legal compliance programs. They are responsible for assessing the needs and risks an organization-wide ethics program must address, developing and distributing a code of conduct or ethics, conducting training programs for employees, establishing and maintaining a confidential service to answer employees’ questions about ethical issues, making sure the company is in compliance with government regulation, monitoring and auditing ethical conduct, taking action on possible violations of the company’s code, and reviewing and updating the code. Ethics officers are capable of reducing misconduct of the codes of conduct by up to seventy five percent. Ethics officers are another vital component to a successful ethics

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