Code of Ethics
A code of ethics is a set of regulations and guidelines, which aim at establishing certain behavioral rules for people within an organization. Very often, many organization prefers to develop own code of ethics in order to control people at their working places, find out the weaknesses in the work, and improve the results as soon as possible. As was mentioned before, the organization under consideration, SJ&D Incorporated, has already created a code of ethics but still has not adhered to it. This is why certain troubles still appear in the company. This is why a formal code of ethics does actually exist in SJ&D, and lots of signs for the company issues are discussed here.
There are several sections in the code of ethics, which represent a different kind of information: the introductory part is always about the goals and aspirations of the company; the main body discusses several topics, which help to arrange employees’ behavior and managers’ attitude to work; and the concluding part may represent some encouraging words for the workers.
One of the most burning topics of the code of ethics is the following: the principles of confidentiality, according to which all confidential information is used for business purposes and cannot be used for personal benefits; principle of environmental improvement, according to which employees focus on developing better working conditions to each other; competitive principle that allows competitions in order to achieve higher results and success; and conflict of interest principle that helps to evaluate private interests and not to promote the development of conflicts.
The code of ethics is usually used in order to overcome ethical conflicts, and the best way of its usage is to apply the established code to different situations and observe the results (Using a Code of Ethics, 2009). Various situations and problems require various approaches and solutions. This is why it is quite possible that one and the same point of the code of ethics will be used to solve rather different situations. Without any doubt, decision-making systems require a properly reinforced code of ethics in order to provide fresh and appropriate solutions and help the CEO and management department of the company resolve conflicts other oppositions, which may be harmful to the company and decrease the benefits. In spite of the fact that SJ&D has already failed to adhere to the code, it is not too late to adhere to it now and prevent other dangers within the staff.
Training
We truly believe that ethics has to be emphasized to new employees and recruits, at least in its minimal degree, because these people have to be aware of the general rules and the purposes of the company and should be ready to learn new behavioral principles in order to correspond to the already established working conditions. When a new person comes to SJ&D Inc., he/she should get a clear idea of how to behave and react to situations in a proper way. It is impossible to realize what behavioral norms have to be used in the company if you are a novice here, this is why the code of ethics and its ideas should support the beginner and show the right way.
SJ&D Inc., one of the main points is that employees and managers should be oriented to organizational values in different ways. Employees, as those, who usually cause conflicts and try to underline the significance of their interests at the expense of the others, should pay much attention to any organizational value and comprehend it properly. In case the employee does not follow the code of ethics or neglect some points, the whole system, according to which lots of people work, maybe broken.
The managers of SJ&D should also take into account the organizational values in order to solve conflicts and improve working conditions so that their employees could bring positive results at work and benefits. Sometimes, managers cannot follow the organizational values, they have already established. The point is that managers should be responsible for the mistakes made by employees, and if the employee can be fired, the manager should find the best way out to improve the situation and not allow a total breakdown of the company.
As a rule, all managers should be trained in ethical decision-making. Of course, it is impossible to predict the proper solving of each problem, but still, some general ideas and experience should help to find the best approach and make the right decision. With the help of theoretical sources and real-life examples, managers get a chance to analyze the mistakes and make everything possible to achieve success.
As for employees, they have not to be trained as well as managers but still have to aware of the main ethical principles at their work. Usually, the code of ethics tells not to divulge confidential information about the company, and managers have to underline this point from the very beginning. Such warnings may be regarded as a kind of training for employees, and this is why recruits have to pay special attention to them in order not to make mistakes from the very beginning.
Reference List
Center for Study of Ethics in the Professions. (2009). Using a Code of Ethics. Web.