by Lime Red Tetrahedron

Created on: June 19, 2010   Last Updated: June 20, 2010

In any workplace, people interact with one another - that's a given. However, the question of appropriate treatment of others is one without an absolute answer. There is often a fine line between that which is appropriate and that which is not. The means by which we decide what is acceptable is through ethics. We decide what to tolerate by empathizing with others or through reflecting on our present situation. In a healthy workplace environment, such practice is vital.

Workplace ethics are the means through which a corporation behaves with respect to interactions with those people who affect it. In short, ethics are the bridge between the collective identity of the company and the individual identity of the client or employee. Thus it is no surprise that in the modern economy - populated by companies rather than by individual entrepreneurs - workplace ethics have become a hot topic. Ethical concerns range from the acceptable treatment of employees to courteously catering to clients. As such, ethical practice itself boils down to a question of morals - a question which will be answered differently depending on the context. However, the ethical interaction is always that interaction which is most human in its character; that is, the proper treatment of another human being. In this article, we will examine ethical concerns in the domain of both employer-employee relationships, as well as in the contexts of employee-employee and corporation-client interactions.

Employer-Employee Ethics

The healthy employer-employee relationship is essentially a mutual one. What this means it that both entities - the employer and the employed - benefit through their daily interactions. Typically, the employer gains labor / skills from the employee, while the latter profits financially. Not surprisingly, the moral implications of such an interaction are tremendous. However, independent of the socioeconomic context, employer-employee ethics reduce to the simpler concern of maintaining a mutual relationship. This is for the simple reason that if either party feels that the relationship is no longer mutually beneficial, the interaction will be terminated.

However, it is important to recognize in day-to-day affairs the importance of the dominant belief and value system held in the region in which the ethics are being applied, as if one individuals condition conflicts with their personal vision of harmony, the relationship will no longer appear mutual and will, therefore, be terminated.

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