A code of ethics in an organization is a set of governing principles designed to guarantee that a firm and its workers operate with integrity and honesty in all aspects of its day-to-day activities and that they only participate in actions that promote a social benefit. Every established company is expected to have an operational code of ethics. They include basic guidelines for employee conduct and detailed instructions for addressing concerns like safety, harassment, and conflicts of interest. Additionally, the codes specify the relationship between workers and employers. They guarantee that workers respect one another and foster a favorable workplace. Accordingly, this paper will examine the Mayo Clinic’s code of ethics and provide an in-depth review of how workers and members should respond to particular scenarios.
How Mayo Clinic Covers the Topic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
The Mayo Clinic is a private organization that provides healthcare and is renowned for the quality of its services. Additionally, it has participated in several significant studies that have transformed the medical field. The Mayo Clinic’s code of conduct addresses a number of issues pertaining to CSR, including how they operate and why they are there (Mayo clinic, 2022). Their patients’ concerns are their priority, and Mayo stresses this since patients have always been one of their most significant stakeholders.
The clinic has expressed a wish to ensure that its personnel and customers are safe on its premises in the code of ethics. The company is also dedicated to preserving the natural surroundings and ensuring that its operations have no negative effects on land, air, or water (Mayo clinic, 2022). Mayo has increased its efforts to reduce water and energy use and to save resources in its daily operations. Systems to recycle instruments as complicated as surgical instruments and as simple as aluminum cans have also been introduced by Mayo. However, the phrase makes it clear that all organization stakeholders must work together for it to be successful. Without adherence to the safety protocols, the company is not responsible for any risks that its customers or workers may encounter. Employees at Mayo are encouraged to report any danger or circumstance that they feel compromises organizational safety.
How Mayo Clinic Covers the Topic of Compliance with Legal Mandates
The Mayo Clinic requires all its staff members to abide by the established codes of conduct created to enhance the organization’s operations. The Mayo Clinic created an Integrity and Compliance training program. A person who wants to work for the organization must complete this training. The Integrity and Compliance Program may assist employees in understanding and adhering to the moral and legal obligations that will safeguard them and the organization. These measures are taken to ensure that neither the institution nor its personnel violates any laws or regulations. If the company and its workers break the law, Mayo Clinic makes it quite clear that they will face legal consequences as well as disciplinary punishment (Mayo clinic, 2022). For instance, the code of ethics stipulates that workers are liable to corrective action, which may include termination of employment if they willfully break the institution’s code of conduct.
Ramifications for Non-compliant with Legal Mandates
The consequences of noncompliance for any specific company may include but are not limited to, audits and investigations, fines, lawsuits, closures, and criminal penalties, as well as the possibility of economic loss due to a damaged reputation. The Joint Commission may revoke accreditation from a healthcare organization. There is also the possibility of losing skilled and experienced doctors who no longer choose to work in a non-compliant organization. Conversely, physicians operating at the organization risk losing their licenses. If a firm breaches legal obligation in any aspect of its operation, it may face severe reputational harm, a decline in corporate morale, penalties and litigation, and even insolvency.
Policies that Ensure Employees Behave Legally and Ethically
Confidential information and trade secrets, as well as conflict of interest and outside activities, are the policies in Mayo Clinic’s code of conduct that assist employees in performing legally and ethically. Employees must avoid personal conflicts with the institution’s interests in accordance with the policies on conflicts of interest and outside activities. An example of a possible conflict of interest would be any chance for personal financial benefit outside of one’s usual compensation (Mayo clinic, 2022). Similarly, the code requires employees to avoid situations that prevent them from providing the organization with superior services. The employees must also guarantee that the organization’s assets at their disposal are used only for Mayo clinic services. On the contrary, the private information and trade secret code specifies that workers are obligated to protect the institution’s secrets and the client data they possess, which are extremely delicate if an unauthorized party accesses them. When an employee maintains the confidentiality of the organization’s information, it means they do not disclose any non-public details about the company. These two policies are great examples of legal and ethical guidelines that guarantee workers operate legally and ethically.
How Mayo Clinic Code of Ethics Facilitates the Development of an Ethical Culture
The organization’s culture comprises expectations, beliefs, and practices that govern workers’ conduct. The Mayo clinic’s code of ethics is well-written and not unduly detailed, making it simple for all staff levels to comprehend. The Mayo clinic’s code of conduct begins with a statement from its CEO that defines the code and describes how it serves the clinic’s purposes. This demonstrates that at the highest level of leadership, the CEO respects and participates in the clinic’s legal and ethical compliance code of conduct.
The codes of ethics contribute to the establishment of a respectful work culture between workers and employers. Furthermore, the codes symbolize the organization’s principles and ideas. The code of ethics design enables workers to contribute to developing the organization’s core principles. Moreover, the codes of ethics contribute to developing a culture of responsibility since workers are aware of the rules they must follow. A written code also facilitates decision-making in the event of violations, which is beneficial to any organization with a code. They can recognize the necessity for employees to receive adequate training regarding the expectations of their employers.
Resources Available to Employees to Use When Raising an Ethical Concern
The code of ethics at Mayo Clinic specifies precisely how and when a worker should bring up a legal or ethical problem. The individual is first advised to communicate with their manager or a team member from the administration, such as the medical leader. Additionally, the firm promotes the use of fellow workers as resources. This is a crucial tool since staff members typically develop trust and feel at ease around the organization’s managers. The Integrity and Compliance office is another resource available to the employee. This section explains the company’s code of conduct to workers for the first time. The Integrity and Compliance Office is responsible for overseeing the Mayo Clinic’s code of ethics.
The hotline, accessible to workers around-the-clock, is the third option for employees with concerns. The Office of Integrity and Compliance offers a 24-hour, confidential Compliance Hotline for inquiries and complaints on compliance-related matters (Mayo clinic, 2022). This is a valuable resource for workers who want to retain anonymity or have questions about compliance. The simplest method for workers to express concerns is often to call and explain their situation. Due to this, the Compliance Hotline would be the most suitable method for reporting compliance and ethical problems.
Factors an Employee Might Consider Before Reporting Unethical Conduct
Before reporting unethical behavior, an employee may evaluate the possibility of retaliation. Retaliation might make a person apprehensive about the consequences of reporting an ethical problem. As an example, a worker may not be offered higher-level responsibilities. Before opting to report unethical behavior, employees may also assess if they feel comfortable with their leadership to share an issue with them. The employee’s uneasiness with their leaders may prevent them from reporting an occurrence, or the leader might be the cause of the occurrence. Before reporting any illegal act, the third consideration an employee must make is to verify that they have a viable case and adequate proof. First, it is crucial to distinguish between an ethical problem and something one dislikes (Pizzani, 2017). Additionally, the reported concerns should not have a personal advantage. The personnel should only disclose unethical conduct that damages the business, not unethical conduct that benefits them personally. Therefore, the employee statement should include only accurate information on what is occurring inside the organization.
Internal Steps for Whistleblowing
Workers may take three internal steps if they wish to whistle on misconduct. Unless the supervisor is personally involved, workers must call their immediate supervisor. This is an excellent opportunity to explore the issue further and determine if the supervisor is conscious of and has seen the conduct. If the employee’s complaint is not handled, they will approach a senior leader whom they are relatively certain is not engaged. An employee must describe the matter to the senior leader and ensure that an accurate, written description of the situation is provided. It is essential to provide the leader with sufficient time to investigate. However, if nothing is done and the problem persists, the Human Resources (HR) or Legal Compliance department should be contacted.
The employee may contact the Legal Compliance department through their website, send a direct email, or contact the hotline to report an event. Notably, it is likely that the compliance officer has previously heard about the problem that the individual is presenting. Therefore, employees must be much more aware and sensitive and be able to differentiate between minor transgressions and more significant concerns (Pizzani, 2017). As is the case when communicating with a senior leader, it is essential that the documentation of the issue is accurate and includes information, such as time and dates. Whether these internal methods do not fix the issue, the employee must consider if taking the matter outside is the best course of action.
External Steps for Whistleblowing
Two external measures an employee may take to report misbehavior or unethical behavior would be to call the company’s oversight body or a federal and state agency. An example of the actions the employee could take at a healthcare facility in the US would be contacting the Joint Commission via email or phone call. The Joint Commission may terminate a healthcare organization’s accreditation after conducting an inquiry and confirming that the organization’s misbehavior is genuine. The employee might also report the conduct to local media outlets, such as the local news, by contacting them. If the employee considers the problem too significant to be addressed internally, they may seek to share this conduct with the media. An example would be unlawful dumping, where no internal action was taken. These are simply two external steps that employees might undertake if they are conscious of ethical or misbehavior concerns.
One Advantage and One Disadvantage of Paying Whistleblowers
Paying whistleblowers for disclosing the social injustice that a corporation does is useful since it functions as a reward to motivate employees to come forward in the event of unethical behavior. The False Claims Act protects employees who disclose wrongdoing in good faith from reprisal (Mayo clinic, 2022). The False Claims Act, which allows whistleblowers to collect 15-30% of damages sustained by the federal government, incentivizes individuals to disclose infractions (Andon et al., 2016). When employees have a monetary benefit in addition to a morale motivator to report unethical activity, they are more likely to disclose the infractions than when they only have a morale driver.
One drawback of compensating whistleblowers is that it may induce them to expose information that may not be illegal or even accurate. As the false claims act and the Dodd-Frank act enable whistleblowers to earn payouts if the allegations culminate in the government incurring losses, whistleblowers have been awarded millions of dollars (Andon et al., 2016). Therefore, it is evident that compensating whistleblowers might lead to inaccurate reporting. Reviewing and investigating these allegations can cost corporations and the federal government a lot of money due to poor reporting.
Changes that Organizations Have Made Based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines
Due to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which changed the emphasis of criminal law from the employee to the organization, firms were compelled to comply with the new legislation. The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines require corporations to have established rules, processes, and standards of behavior, as well as a compliance officer and proper training for all workers. These rules guarantee that workers operate in a safe and ethical workplace. Even with these precautions in place, unlawful or unethical behavior may occur. The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines recommend organizations establish reporting routes if or when certain incidents occur. The rules protect workers by providing a resource to whom they may resort when they see an occurrence.
Three Culpability Factors Used to Determine Fines Under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines
The following variables influence the imposition of fines in the United States. In assessing penalties or the extent to which a corporation neglects its activities, the organization’s size is a consideration. A judge will calculate the final score depending on mitigating factors that reduce the grade and aggravating circumstances that raise it. The corporation’s size and the degree to which the organization engaged in or was aware of the occurrence are aggravating factors that may enhance the score by up to five points (Cushwa et al., 2022). If the organization is large and overlooked the illegal behavior, it would be reasonable for a court to award the organization a full five points. Secondly, the prior history of the organization is a factor that is considered. Up to two points may be added to the score of organizations that have been found to have engaged in similar activity in the preceding five years. Thirdly, obstructing, hindering, or trying to obstruct or hamper an investigation and prosecution may add three points to the offender’s licensure.
References
Andon, P., Free, C., Jidin, R., Monroe, G. S., & Turner, M. J. (2016). The impact of financial incentives and perceptions of seriousness on whistleblowing intention. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(1), 165-178. Web.
Cushwa, P., Officio, E., Wroblewski, J., Cohen, K., Director, S., & Schmitt, G. (2022). Charles R. Breyer Acting Chair United States Sentencing Commission. Web.
Mayo Clinic. (2022). Integrity and Compliance Together. Code of Conduct. Web.
Pizzani, L. (2017). Drawing the Line. CFA Institute Magazine, 28(4), 20–23. Web.