That's my point, dlavie. Ethics is trust and respect. Trust builds trust and respect breeds respect. People will pay and be honest both because they are ethical, as well as they trust that the money they are paying for their coffee won't be used by the company for another purpose.
I think ethics are consistent in that people are ethical or not. But I also believe that they will justify unethical behavior when the trust is broken. They won't support a company or boss that is unethical.
The whole goal is to build an ethical environment that warrants trust, and sets a firm and consistent ethical policy. If you have that, you will have IT ethics in confidentiality in company information, customer information, use of resources, etc.
Another consideration about ethics is that if you have a personal code of ethics it is your code.
Since DHagar brought up coffee.... We have a community pot in our shop. Purely honor system, people bring in coffee, those that use sweetener or creamer insure they have it, we have never run out of supplies. However, do you think we could train people that if they are leaving less than a cup, they need to make the next pot.
People for the most part are ethical, their code of ethics may not be as extensive as yours. It could be cultural, environmental.
We have a policy about personal web surfing. But how many times have I had to perform research on my home system? We have policy about personal phone usage, but my working an off shift how many times have I had to use my cel or home phone for business during the daylight hours? The thumb drive I bought for $6 in personal funds for work because the procurement system is nuts.
So yes ethics can be flexible, they certainly differ between people.
I understand your point, Mark. My point was that companies ARE either ethical and then they create a culture for ethical behavior, or ARE NOT.
Flexible ethics that dlavie referred to, I believe, is saying that people reflect the environment, ethical or not, in which they operate. I agree that people are or are not ethical by choice and the level of commitment. The question becomes the degree to which people are committed to ethical behavior. If everyone goes through a red light, do you do the same? If you have coffee available for people with an honor system to pay, do you pay even if do one else does? Where do you set the ethics in an unethical company?
I'm with you on this one, Mark. Ethics are about personal integrity, not opportunism. After all, the point of ethics is to have guidelines to behavior under all circumstances.
Like Grandma said, "Two wrongs don't make a right!"
I have a problem with "situational" or "flexible" ethics. You are either ethical, or not. I know people and companies will have varying standards, but 'flexible ethics' is a contradiction in terms.
I agree dlavie. But what I also hear you saying is that in those companies that disrespect their workers, those are the companies that pay the price. I think that is consistent with your point that people relate to people; when companies don't treat people like people or respect them, then employees divorce themselves from that relationship and just go into a self-survival mentality.
It is clear from your survey, Mary, that companies that commit to the value of ethics change that scenario. Those companies make a commitment to employees, which in turm are followed in corporate practics, including IT.
I don't think you have one without the other. You either have an ethical company or not.
Most people I know have flexible ethics, I know it sounds bad but hear me out.
We have ethics when it comes to dealing with other human beings but when it comes to dealing with the "company" we can be variable.
Now those of us that work for companies that have treated them well or even just fairly usually perform well for their company.
But if you work for a company that is arbitrary and just keeps screwing it's employees, and those employees see managers getting bonuses and perks when everyone else is taking it on the chin, the ethic is sure to die. An "optical ethic" may be there but the core is gone.
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