Have you ever seen someone behaving in a dishonest way? If that’s the case, did you say anything to the contrary or ask if it was really wrong? Nearly three-quarters of people who answered a poll said that they had seen a coworker do something illegal or unethical in the past year. “Misbehavior often starts with small mistakes and gets worse quickly from there,” said someone whose bad behavior starts with small mistakes. In this article, we will cover the unethical behavior in business along with equivalent matters around the topic.
To put it simply, unethical behavior is when someone doesn’t do what they should. Stealing from a coworker or assaulting them are two examples of illegal acts that can be viewed as unethical in the workplace. Nonetheless, the term “unethical” can describe a broader spectrum of wrongful actions. Technically, both of these things are legal, but they take advantage of people’s weaknesses for their own gain, which many people would call unethical. These unethical actions could include breaking business laws on purpose or using high-pressure sales tactics. There are many places where unethical behavior can be seen, including but not limited to different types of businesses and fields of work. Read more about unethical business practices examples to deepen your comprehension.
Top 12 – Unethical Behavior in Business
In the modern world, the number of businesses that follow ethical standards is dropping at an alarming rate. The vast majority of businesses do at least one thing that isn’t ethical. Governments all over the world feel the effects of unethical business practices because they lose tax money because of it. Because companies try to avoid paying taxes, the world economy is dangerously close to falling apart. In this article, we will discuss about unethical behavior in business in brief with examples for your better understanding. We’re going to take a look at unethical behavior in business and discuss related matters in this topic.
Lying to Employees
Even though telling lies to employees is one of the best ways to lose their trust, many businesses still do it all the time. One study found that one out of every five workers had a manager or supervisor who was dishonest at work in the past year.
Unfriendly Work Environment
Many places of work expect employees to respect their bosses’ power and obey their orders without question. People who are not in charge often report problems up the chain of command. So, in some situations, subordinate workers have to follow the rules set by their bosses and managers, even if those rules aren’t always the best.
Lack of Transparency
Businesses should always be clear about how they do things. But there have been times when CEOs kept controversial information from the most important people in the company. Some companies try to trick their investors by giving them lame reasons why they can’t pay dividends on their stocks when they can’t.
Unfair Competitive Practices
Any business that wants to get and keep a large number of customers needs to have an edge over the competition. Many companies are willing to spend millions of dollars on a variety of ways to boost sales. Many unethical individuals in business know that their actions are unjust and harm the economy.
Bending the Company Rules
One thing that can make workers less productive is a place of work that is not welcoming. Several things could be to blame, such as management that doesn’t help, not getting enough credit, favoritism, and so on. When people ignore or don’t care about repeated unethical actions, it makes the workplace hostile.
Employee Theft
To steal from an employer means to take the employer’s property or assets for one’s own use. Theft encompasses not only taking physical items or money but also private information or “time” (such as not working recorded hours or conducting personal tasks during work hours).
Supplier & Customer Mistreatment
A company can’t stay in business without raw material suppliers and customers who buy its finished products. In a nutshell, the company’s relationships with both its suppliers and its customers should be mutually beneficial. Yet, some companies are just too selfish to let the other party benefit from the arrangement in any way. This is unethical behavior in business.
Abusive Behavior
Supervisors and managers in many companies use their positions to mistreat employees. Legal protection against abusive behavior is limited to cases involving race, gender, or ethnicity. This is because it is harder to back up claims like these with proof. Check out the Workplace Bullying Institute’s website if you want to learn more about bullying at work.
Environmental Harm
Environmental rules are set by the government and every company must follow them. According to the corporate social responsibility policy, businesses also need to treat the neighbourhoods where they do business and the people who live there with respect. Still, there have been times when companies did things that were bad for the environment and against morals.
Misusing Company Time
Misusing company time, such as covering for a tardy coworker or altering time sheets, is a severe offense. This section covers how to handle coworkers who waste company time. Survey respondents acknowledge that calling clients to develop a freelance business differs from calling home to check on a sick child. Because of this, the first is called a “private affair.”
Employee Manipulation & Exploitation
Employees are very important to the success of any unethical behavior in business because their work directly affects how productive the business is. But there are some managers who will use their power to take advantage of their employees. People on the staff who are easier to scare have no choice but to give in.
Deceptive Sales Practices
The leaders of the company had no morals, which was clear from what they did. Selling illegal drugs to people in need cannot be compensated with money. The company also mishandled the marketing of their other products and manipulated the sales figures of a successful diabetes treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Advantages of Business Ethics?
Business practices that are moral can give a company or organization an edge in the market. Customers and clients trust them more and stick with them for longer periods. This plan works out well for everyone and for society as a whole. When a company has high moral standards, its employees and executives are more likely to know what their social responsibilities are and meet them.
How would you Define Business Ethics?
Business ethics are the rules and practices that are generally accepted in business. These include rules and practices that deal with controversial topics like bribery, discrimination, governance, the social responsibility of the organization, and many others. These rules don’t just apply to one company, but to the vast majority of businesses in a certain field.
Mention some Disadvantages of Business Ethics?
We can’t deny that doing the right thing in business, has costs, even when it’s clear that doing so is in the best interest of the company. I think that a company whose main goal is to make money would be at a disadvantage if it followed business ethics.
Conclusion
Also, unethical behavior is more likely to happen at work when there is no commitment to upholding and following the organization’s code of ethics. It has been found that about 60% of a company’s employees understand what ethics are but don’t put them into practice because the company doesn’t enforce them. So, it’s important for company leaders to show that they care about making the workplace a good place to be honest. Also, the organization must maintain an effective code of ethics that instructs employees on proper conduct. This article will cover unethical business behavior in-depth and provide various examples for convenience.