Drive Open Communication
Communication of organisational values and ethics is critical for any team. It is important to provide clarity when it comes to the values of work ethic, says James Agrawal, managing director, BTI Consultants. Team leaders ought to regularly communicate in crystal-clear terms the things their team members need to know to live out those values, he says.Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO, CIEL HR Services, says leaders must walk the talk while conveying their beliefs and thoughts to their teams. Several organisations fail ethically when the leaders fail in either or both these areas, says Mishra. Their employees fail to get a coherent idea of the desired behaviours.Hence their customers do not receive a consistent experience.
Training Programmes on Ethics
Companies should emphasise educating employees on workplace ethics. These activities will stress on the fact that em ployees must foster and abide by the ethical code of the organisation, says Nikhil Barshikar, managing director, Imarticus Learning. Agrawal of BTI Con sultants says a few members of the top level management can lead ethics and compliance training programmes. Such initiatives should be customised to dif ferent roles and departments since a single programme cannot cater to the needs of the entire organisation, says Agrawal.
Appreciate and Reward
Creating a reward system that encourages a positive work ethic would help in establishing the equal importance of workplace ethics in comparison to achieving rewards for exemplary performances at work, says Barshikar of Imarticus Learning. Agrawal of BTI Consultants said, Awarding and recognising those who adhere to work ethics through monetary and other incentives will motivate them to continue doing so, and will also inspire others to follow suit. To achieve this, HR heads could integrate low levels of customer complaints and teamwork into annual appraisal templates. They should make the criteria transparent so that employees realise they will be rewarded for being ethical.
Be a Role Model
If the workforce observes a leader as their role model, it would be simpler for them to stick to the company's norms and ethics.Top management conducting themselves in a professionally ethical fashion will set an example for teams to follow, says Barshikar. It is also critical for corporate leaders to play the role of a coachtrainer and reiterate the work culture and ethics.
Empower People
An ethical organisation empowers its people at all levels by defining the work methods clearly, setting goals at the right time, measuring performance and publishing them regularly. Organisations sometimes fail to define work processes clearly, set clear goal, lay down methods to measure performance and publish results, says Mishra of CIEL. In such a scenario, one is not sure how well one is faring. Hence employees remain tentative about the moves they make at work; they tend to look to their reporting manager for instructions.And some unscrupulous elements take advantage of the prevalent disempowerment and follow their own ways. Hence it is critical for an organisation that wants to drive a culture of ethics to empower its people across hierarchy