Is Business Ethics an Oxymoron?

As Michael Douglas expounded in the movie Wall Street, "Greed is good!" And it seems a large number of companies out there have taken this statement to heart. Unfortunately, from my experience, the majority of CEO's and business owners are more focused on the "bottom line" and doing whatever it takes to turn a profit. What they evidently don't know is that doing right by the people they employ can make their organizations even more profitable. Instead, they resort to saying one thing to their employees and doing something else behind their backs. So, it should come as no surprise that loyalty is at an all time low.

Unethical Business Practices are unfortulately more common in the workplace than you might think. Unethical behavior is why there is no loyalty in the workplace anymore. One problem is that few companies truly keep their promises to their employees, yet foolishly they expect their employees to remain loyal. Many employees have become cynical about management in general, largely because of companies' broken promises concerning raises, promotions, bonuses, incentives, enhanced benefits, and other work related matters.

Failure to handle employees issues sensitively can result in serious consequences that range from creation of a disruptive environment and lack of productivity to lawsuits and, in some cases, workplace violence.

It annoys the hell out of me when I hear Donald Trump say, "It's not personal, it's just business." Well, Donald, I have news for you. It is personal! The truth is..... it's always personal, and it should be. Those people who think it's OK to separate the way they behave at work from the way they behave at home are living a very big lie. A man is a hypocrite if he prides himself on being a good husband and family man, but treats is employees with less than the same level of respect.

The Solution - These days, loyalty is not the rule, it's the exception. Yet most employers expect loyalty from their employees. But loyalty is not a quality to be expected; it must be earned. The employer, the one doing the hiring, must earn the respect and loyalty of employees if the company wants it returned. Its' not enough for CEO's to say they are ethical, they must prove it by working actively everyday to earn and maintain the trust of their employees.

Today's 'ethical leaders' must put their employees' best interest first. An employer should never expect something from their employees they are not willing to do themselves.

The stability and profitability of any organization has a direct correlation to the way employees feel about their jobs. If you hire a candidate who is excited and ready to go to work, and if you treat that person as you would a friend, someone whom you really care about, you will see a resurgence of loyalty in your workforce.

They say it's money that makes the world go round
but it's people who make the money.