How to Manage Employees With Poor Work Ethics

Ethics in the workplace refers to how people manage themselves and their work ethic. It can also refer to the morality surrounding a workplace, and it can be broadly contained within your workplace culture.

Even in 2022, a positive work ethic is essential to develop a successful career for your workers and produce a great workplace culture within your organisation, whether you work from home, commute to work every day, or use a hybrid working style.

Dealing with a bad work ethic may be a massive challenge for HR teams, and if it is not handled as soon as possible, it can snowball into a much larger problem. When employees see others breaching the rules with no consequences, they may believe it's acceptable for them to do the same, and before you know it, such behaviour has become the norm in your workplace.

More importantly, 'ignoring' or passing over questionable workplace ethics sends the message to your staff that not only will the behaviour go unresolved, but that it is acceptable, and that in the long run, they may see the firm negatively and decide to quit. This is due to its impact on the workplace culture, which tolerates wrongdoing, leading to more turnover, reduced productivity, and, eventually, a tarnished reputation and profitability.

What are some instances of unethical workplace behaviour?

The following are some of the most common examples of ethical failures in the workplace:

Lying: Lying destroys trust, damages relationships, and even gets people into trouble. Employees lie in the workplace in various settings, including how far along they are on a project, the depth of their talents when being questioned, and even how many meetings a salesperson has had in the previous month.

Taking credit for coworkers' work: Taking credit for other people's hard work is a classic example of a bad work ethic. A team member, for example, may have contributed an idea that helped the sales team better. Yet, others may not disclose the team member's name in their report but take credit for the idea.

Verbal abuse: Employees must refrain from using profane, disrespectful, or even condescending language on coworkers both in and out of the workplace.

Extended breaks: Employers will provide employees with both breaks and lunch periods during which they are free to do whatever they like, within reason, such as go for a walk, buy some food, or pick something up in town. But, employees may take advantage of these breaks without informing their boss and extend them over the time limit without prior consent from their manager.

Preferential treatment: An employee who receives special treatment at work, whether as a result of patronage, friendship, or romantic ties, is subjected to unfair and unethical favouritism, which is unethical because all employees should be treated equally.

Gossip: Spreading false rumours about coworkers, company projects and plans, or anything else linked to work culture is unethical and shows that the employee can't be trusted with their discretion and privacy.

What steps can you take to manage unethical behaviour in your workplace?

Workplace ethics can be difficult to settle because, like any other process, you must follow the correct method to protect your firm, allow all parties a fair chance to defend themselves, and ensure to deal with it correctly by others from within your organisation.

When it comes to dealing with inappropriate behaviour, you must be prepared to:

1. Make a brief, accurate account of what occurred.

2. Describe the negative impact you believe it has.

3. Describe how the incident affected you or a team member (for instance, frustrated or disappointed).

4. State how you'd like to see that behaviour change and set some goals if necessary.

With that said, there usually are four approaches to dealing with unethical situations in the workplace:

1. Establish a policy: Your workplace should have predefined policies and workflows to assist remind individuals of the rules, establish expected practices, and clarify the penalties for breaking the rules. That way, if someone wishes to disregard the rules despite seeing them, the fear of being punished will deter them.

2. Accept feedback: Make it simple for employees to give feedback or complaints in the event of workplace harassment, abuse, or other unethical behaviour. People will feel more comfortable reporting ethical violations if they know there is a confidential way to do so.

3. Quick disciplinary action: Regardless of who breaks the rule, the organisation should take rapid disciplinary action. While you must follow due process to conduct a fair inquiry, you must also guarantee that any investigation is conducted promptly with documentation so that unethical behaviour can be examined and halted if it is discovered in your workplace.

What options do you have for dealing with an unethical employee?

Whatever you do, keep your cool and remain objective while listening to what the other person says. There are two basic approaches to dealing with immoral employees:

1. Create a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan): Work with the employee to resolve any challenges they may be experiencing. Make sure you describe the detrimental impact their attitude has on the rest of the team.

2. Dismiss them: If you've attempted performance management but haven't seen any results, this is the last option. A team member with a poor attitude can damage your project team from the inside out, so you must assess whether this person is appropriate for their position within your firm.

Source: Natural HR