COMMENTARY: Without ethics we create false profits

c. 1997 Religion News Service (Dale Hanson Bourke is author of”Turn Toward the Wind”and publisher of Religion News Service.) UNDATED _ No drumrolls announce their arrivals; they are rarely illuminated in spotlights. Instead, they slip into our lives when we are busy or distracted, tired or riding high. They are defining moments; but at the […]

c. 1997 Religion News Service

(Dale Hanson Bourke is author of”Turn Toward the Wind”and publisher of Religion News Service.)

UNDATED _ No drumrolls announce their arrivals; they are rarely illuminated in spotlights. Instead, they slip into our lives when we are busy or distracted, tired or riding high.


They are defining moments; but at the time, we rarely see them for what they are. It is only later, in the awful clarity of hindsight, that we see all the evidence we missed before.

Then we know that the corner we cut, the decision we avoided, the excuse we invoked was an ethical lapse. If we are able, we face the painful truth.

But it is tempting, always, to avoid looking inward toward our own lapses and instead to look at all of those who fail more flagrantly, viciously and publicly. There is plenty of public evidence to assuage our guilt and often a chorus of loyal friends to encourage denial.

It is easy to justify actions in a society which has raised moral relativism to a fine art. What is far more difficult is to account for intentions or admit to errors when no one is asking for a confession.

Confession is just what the Ethics Officers Association heard recently when they co-sponsored a survey focusing on ethics in the workplace. Nearly half of all workers questioned admitted to unethical or illegal actions on the job, according to information released Monday (April 7).

Violations ranged from cutting corners on quality control to deceiving customers.

The percentage was considered shockingly high by many and decried as more evidence of moral erosion in our society.

Perhaps, however, we should be more concerned about the half of the survey respondents who claimed to be free of blame and innocent of wrongdoing.

Are they truly able to navigate the temptations and conflicts of the workplace without ambiguity or self-doubt? Or are they simply better at denial than the other half? Have they faced themselves and found no blame, or are they comforted by the many around them who seem so much worse?


Doing the right thing in the workplace is increasingly complex. Some of us become employees after growing up in homes where ethics are debated at the dinner table and religious instruction offers clear guidance. Others come to a job with little or no basis on which to make good choices.

For many industries and in some companies, a code of conduct for workers is well defined and documented. In other corporations”Don’t ask, don’t tell”is the operative guideline. Some of the survey respondents pointed to poor company communications as a factor in their behavior.

In many cases, emerging technologies are far ahead of any rules or definitions. Doctors are asked to make life and death decisions today that they didn’t face last week. The vast, uncharted territory of the Internet creates opportunity for the ignorant to stumble and the savvy to sin boldly _ and anonymously.

Worse, too many companies regard profit as the only bottom line and offer promotions based on results with little concern for methods.

Employees are often taught to operate within a culture where the end justifies the means. In such an environment, a truly ethical employee is viewed as naive or judgmental and even good people doubt their moral compass when everyone else’s seems to point in another direction.

Ethical decisions are not made in a vacuum. Individuals must have the tools to evaluate situations. Corporations must offer guidelines, ongoing education, and opportunities to ask questions without fear of retribution.


Most importantly, workers must see ethical behavior recognized and rewarded, and individuals who manipulate or exaggerate not rewarded, even if they produce a profit for the company.

The more we question our own intentions and behavior, the more most of us see where we fall short. Behaving ethically is an ongoing struggle, not something we attain and never again question. Companies must value the struggle itself and recognize their responsibility to nurture not only their employees’ job skills but also their souls.

END BOURKE

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