discuss an ethical behaviour you encountered in the office

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Unethical behavior in the Office

Organizations that run their business ethically enhance the attraction of consumers and more investors ( Ojasoo, 2016). Company leaders, employees, and consumers should emulate stronger ethical practices. Office ethics are vital because they protect the asset and enhance increased teamwork and productivity( Kaptein, M. (2011). Furthermore, ethical practices are paramount to the success and reputation of the organization. Many unethical practices in offices and organizations exist. They include misuse of company resources and going against company policies (Kaptein, 2011)

Presently, unethical behaviors are a common phenomenon in the present business world. To comprehend unethical behaviors in the Office, scholars have shifted the blame to the individual character trait and personal transgressions like the bad apple approach (Kaptein,2011). According to research, unethical behavior relates to ethical culture in a context where morally right behaviors are rewarded, and unethical behaviors are modeled by top management.

My essay will discuss an ethical issue occurring in any organizational setting. There are several types of unethical behaviors, but as of now, my paper will focus on one, which is the misuse of company resources. First, my essay will start by defining the abuse of organizational resources. It can range from unauthorized use of equipment and computers to embezzling company funds. Others used the internet and phone during working hours to browse their stuff and call their friends. Time theft cost an organization hundreds of billion in lost productivity annually ( Chu, 2014).

Emphasizing this, I would like to share my own experience. I was once a university student, and during my last semester, it was mandatory to take practical work. Therefore I took my practical work as an internship at an established company. As an established company, there were lots of unethical behaviors I saw. It was a pity how the workers misused the company resources. There was a lot of unethical behavior. I was shocked at how they misused the company's assets for their interest. For instance, the company printing machine was used for company business, but the workers were using them to print their stuff.

I believe it was against my culture among workers to use companies' resources to do their personal work. Many people consider this a small matter or take it lightly, or maybe it costs less, but still, it remains unethical to use stuff that is not ours. There are a lot of workers doing unethical behaviors in their daily lives. Still, it is their responsibility to do the right thing through the help of the organization's help or training.

Conclusion

Organization leaders, staff, and consumers should practice solid ethical practices. Stronger ethical practices are vital as they enhance productivity. However, unethical practices act as barriers to realizing the company's goals. There are lots of workers who engage in unethical behaviors in their daily lives. There is a need to improve work ethics. This can be done by evaluating their cultural behavior and the right training by the organization.

References

Chu, A. M., Chau, P. Y., & So, M. K. (2014). Explaining the misuse of information systems resources in the workplace: A dual-process approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 131(1), 209-225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2250-4

Ojasoo, M. (2016). CSR reporting, stakeholder engagement, and preventing hypocrisy through ethics audit. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40497-016-0056-9

Kaptein, M. (2011). Understanding unethical behavior by unraveling ethical culture.  Human relations,  64(6), 843-869.