How Leaders Shape Ethics
No matter your field of work or place of business, the ethical behaviour and conduct of your peers and employees is important to ensure the success of your company. Businesses have good reasons to care about unethical employers and employees. Ethical issues arising in a place of business might result in fines, loss and shrinkage, fraud, increased regulatory oversight, negative stakeholder opinion, and more. With this in mind, here are some suggestions for achieving the overall goal of a more ethical workplace. There is no one approach to ensure ethical behaviour within the workplace, but rather many elements to consider.
Ethical leadership is a deterrent for unethical employee behaviour
Studies have shown that ethical leaders encourage ethical behaviour in the workplace. Overall, the influence of an ethical leader depends on their ability to command the respect and attention of employees. An ethical leader provides an example of how best to act. In turn, that behaviour encourages employees to follow suit, decreasing how often staff take liberties with the company’s ethical values. Leaders also help to remind employees to stay engaged with a company’s values. This impacts employee behaviour and steers them clear from making unethical decisions which may negatively affect the company.
Avoiding abusive supervision
Abusive supervision—when supervisors engage in a display of hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviours towards employees—can affect the ethical behaviour of an entire company. One study demonstrates that abusive supervision trickles down throughout an organization. In addition to abuse being wrong for its own sake, when managers or supervisors abuse employees, it suggests to employees that supervisors are disengaged from moral behaviour. This conduct causes employees to be more ethically lenient. This cycle repeats itself, deepening the extent of unethical behaviour in workplaces stemming from abusive managers or supervisors. Abusive supervision transfers abuse through all levels of the business, encouraging unethical behaviour from employees throughout a company.
Employing humour
When used appropriately, humour in the workplace may help to improve the ethical behaviour of employers and employees. Humorous leaders have a positive impact on the atmosphere and social interactions within a workplace. A 2019 study linked a leader’s use of humour to overall improved trust and, ultimately, improved employee behaviour. Humour serves to signal to staff that a leader is kind and encouraging to their employees and helps to improve interoffice relationships. Accordingly, humour displays leader competence and encourages trust. But handle with care! Not everyone is blessed with the gift of gab, wit, and humour. A leader brandishing humour to improve their employee’s behaviour should be cautious and avoid telling boring or offensive jokes. Humour will only work in favour of the humourist if the employees on the receiving end of the joke find it funny.