Each day roughly 120 million people walk into a workplace somewhere in the United States. Within the past year, almost half of these workers personally witnessed some form of ethical misconduct, according to a recent survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Ethics Resource Center (ERC).
We are not talking about workers being privy to the CFO committing fraud. More likely, it’s someone who lied to a supervisor or handed in a false expense report. Listed below, according to the ERC study, are the five most frequently observed unethical behaviors in the U.S. workplace.
- Misusing company time
Whether it is covering for someone who shows up late or altering a time sheet, misusing company time tops the list. This category includes knowing that one of your co-workers is conducting personal business on company time. By “personal business” the survey recognizes the difference between making cold calls to advance your freelance business and calling your spouse to find out how your sick child is doing.
- Abusive behavior
Too many workplaces are filled with managers and supervisors who use their position and power to mistreat or disrespect others. Unfortunately, unless the situation you’re in involves race, gender or ethnic origin, there is often no legal protection against abusive behavior in the workplace. To learn more, check out the Workplace Bullying Institute.
- Employee theft
According to a recent study by Jack L. Hayes International, one out of every 40 employees in 2012 was caught stealing from their employer. Even more startling is that these employees steal on average 5.5 times more than shoplifters ($715 vs $129). Employee fraud is also on the uptick, whether its check tampering, not recording sales in order to skim, or manipulating expense reimbursements. Ethical alert: The FBI recently reported that employee theft is the fasting growing crime in the U.S. today.
- Lying to employees
The fastest way to lose the trust of your employees is to lie to them, yet employers do it all the time. One of out every five employees report that their manager or supervisor has lied to them within the past year.
Source – http://www.bizjournals.com
