DEALING WITH ETHICAL DILEMMAS: A 12-STEP APPROACH

2Do you handle ethical dilemmas within your business directly, or do you have a program for nipping such problems in the bud? Regardless of your approach, the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research recommends asking these 12 questions when you face an ethical dilemma:
  1. Have you defined the problem accurately?
  2. How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence?
  3. How did this situation occur in the first place?
  4. To whom and to what should you give your loyalty as a person and as a member of the company?
  5. What's your intention in making this decision?
  6. How does this intention compare with the probable results?
  7. Whom might your decision or action injure?
  8. Can you discuss the problem with the affected parties before you make your decision?
  9. Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period as it seems now?
  10. Could you disclose without qualm your decision or action to your boss, CEO, board of directors, your family, or society as a whole?
  11. What's the symbolic potential of your action if it's understood, or misunderstood?
  12. Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand?

Ethics are critical to the integrity of any business. They also provide a valuable supplement to your insurance program by reducing your exposure to potential litigation.

Need insurance for You, Your Family or Your Business?
We can match you to a qualified, local insurance expert!
Further Reading
Every business is vulnerable to disruptions. Most companies have taken steps to mitigate the impact of major hazards. However many businesses have neglected smaller, more probable perils, ranging from inadequate fire protection and offsite data backu...
In the controversial Citizens United case, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have rights similar to those of an individual. If follows that they have identities and are vulnerable to identity theft. Although insurance offers one way to manag...
Every company needs strong leaders. Without them, the business will fail to achieve goals, lose customers and employees, and possibly fail. That's what makes a passive boss such a disaster for the company and for individual employees like you. Discov...
If you want to find dangerous chemicals in the workplace, you either need to read obscure technical journals with language and jargon that is impossible for lay people to understand. Your other option is to look at the Manufacturer's Safety Data S...
The occurrence of drug and alcohol addiction and abuse is common in the United States. The effects of substance abuse and addiction are far reaching for both the addict and the family members of the addict, even extending into the workplace. One nat...