Ethical workplaces start with the leadership of a company. Leaders play a critical role in creating and maintaining a company culture and fostering an environment that supports ethical practices.
In small businesses, leaders are typically more visible to employees, and the manner in which they model the organization’s ethics and values is readily observable to all. Whom the leader hires, what programs and activities he or she supports, what behaviors he or she exhibits personally, and the rewards or criticisms given to others are signals to the rest of the organization of what’s really important in terms of company culture, values, and ethics.
Leaders must “walk the talk” and lead by example to create and foster an environment that embeds ethics into the company’s culture and includes integrity, honesty, and doing the right things right when getting work done within the company.
Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com.