Work-Place Ethics WHAT DO WE MEAN BY WORK-PLACE ETHICS? One of the most important responsibilities that we place on the leaders of organizations is upholding the highest standards of ethical behavior. In a nutshell, this comes down to doing the right thing even when the wrong thing might also have some attraction. Work-place ethics are most often related to decision-making processes. Most leaders face the opportunity to choose between alternative courses of action in their work situations and other aspects of their lives. Work-place ethics refer to choosing the option that is determined to be the moral or legal “right” choice, even if the other alternative(s) are very attractive and even if you can “get away with” the less ethical choice. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO EXERCISE WORK-PLACE ETHICS? Leaders are often put in decisions where they must choose among options that vary in their degree of ethical behavior. One of the reasons why this is a common issue for leaders is that there are often competing priorities for businesses1. On the one hand, organizations exist to generate profits for their shareholders, which may encourage leaders to act in ways that are less ethical in order to cut costs or increase revenues. On the other hand, organizations are made up of human beings who are personally invested in the company and often live in the communities in which they work. If the individuals are harmed by decisions that maximize company profitability, then the decision is not an ethical one. Only one stakeholder is getting their needs met, at the expense of other stakeholders. According to one theory, leaders may make bad ethical decisions and rationalize these decisions2: For example, a leader may tell themselves it is not really illegal or immoral, or perhaps that it will never be found out or that their bad behavior will be rewarded.