Ethical behavior at work a must for all

JEDDAH – A recent poll conducted by Bayt.com, in partnership with the Canadian University Dubai entitled “Ethical Leadership: Views from the MENA region”, revealed that the majority (64%) of respondents believe that all employees have a responsibility to be ethical in business, with 20% holding the company responsible for establishing a strong code of conduct. Research has demonstrated the importance that a leader plays in setting the right example, creating an environment that encourages good corporate citizenship, and in motivating employees to perform better and more innovatively. This poll takes a look at a distinct type of leadership – ethical leadership – where leaders are both moral people and moral managers. When asked to define what business ethics meant to them, almost half of the surveyed respondents (47%) held a legalistic view, i.e. conducting business according to the legal requirements and not breaking laws, while 37% related it to being socially responsible. To gauge whether managers in the MENA engage in ethical decision-making processes, the poll asked respondents whether their managers make fair and balanced decisions. 43% of poll respondents said ‘sometimes’, while more than a third (36%) think their managers are ‘usually’ fair in their decision-making processes. Based on the poll results, the majority of managers in the MENA region are not of the view that the ends justify the means. In fact, almost 6 in every 10 respondents (58%) agree that their managers define success not just by results, but also by the way results are obtained. However, managers appear to focus primarily on profits; 38% of respondents said that their managers prioritize ethics over profits ’to a large extent’, while 28% said ’occasionally’. Less than half (45%) of respondents reported that their supervisors ’often’ consider the right thing to do when making decisions, 38% said ’sometimes’, while the remaining 17% stated that it was either ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ to have the right thing considered by their managers. When asked whether their managers conduct themselves in an appropriate manner outside the workplace, 39% of respondents said ‘yes, most of the time’. A majority of poll respondents felt that their managers had their best interests in mind at least ‘some of the time’ (27%) or to ‘a large extent’ (39%). On the other hand, a third felt that their managers did not care about their best interests with 21.5% stating that their managers ‘never’ had their best interests in mind and 12.5% responding ‘rarely’. On a positive note, 70.5% of respondents confirmed that their managers listen to them, with 38.5% saying they listen ‘to a large extent’. However, almost a third (29.5%) hardly ever have the opportunity to be heard by their managers. When employees were asked if their managers set an example of how to do things ethically, almost half (45%) of the respondents conveyed that managers are ‘often’ good role models in displaying ethical behavior, with the other half split between only doing so ’sometimes’(29%), ‘rarely’ (14%) or ‘never’ (12%). According to the poll, 62% of managers discuss business ethics and values with their employees, with 28% discussing them ‘often’. Moreover, disciplinary procedures when employees breach ethics standards do exist. In fact, 72% of respondents say that their managers discipline or reprimand employees for violating ethics standards; of these, 28% do so occasionally. When asked whether they consider their manager to be an ethical leader, close to half (46%) said ‘yes, to a large extent’, while a quarter thought so, but only ‘some of the time’. Suhail Masri, VP - Employer Solutions, Bayt.com, said “it is important to recognize that being ethical is not just about doing what is required by law, but living by moral values in both your personal and professional life.” Jeanette Teh, Assistant Professor, Canadian University Dubai, said “there needs to be more explicit training and communication about ethical issues and in the decision-making processes of managers to ensure more emphasis on ethical principles over profit.” — SG