What are the major ethical issues associated with conflict in the contemporary workplace - Research Paper Example

What are the major ethical issues associated with conflict in the contemporary workplace? s of Learning Ethical Issues inthe Workplace The role of ethics in the workplace cannot be overestimated. In any workplace, there are many areas that have a close association with ethical issues that can impact the success of an organization (Mirotta, 2009). In many organizations, training of ethics is often done to allow workers to work while being aware of ethical issues surrounding them. Such training is beneficial to workers and the organization at large because it promotes awareness to employees and management on the effects of ethical issues.

In a typical workplace, areas such as drug testing, falsification of information, sexual harassment and unfairness give rise to ethical issues that led to conflicts. Drug testing is one of the areas that can lead to ethical issues in the workplace. The use of drug testing in the workplace can create an environment where employees are in constant conflicts with the management (Sterba, 2009). For instance, the management of a firm can insist that workers undergo drug testing even when they do not want.

This practice can be forced without mutual agreement with employees being threatened by their employers. All these instances present ethical scenarios that undermine relations in the workplace.Falsification of information is also another area that depicts the extent of ethics within a business organization (Chonko, 2000). Conflict can arise between workers and their employees because of falsified information. For instance, an employee can falsify information to receive a promotion or to portray others on the wrong thus leading to conflicts.

Sexual harassment represents another area of ethical concern in a work place. According to Allhoff and Vaidya (2008), sexual harassment entails the harassment of people in a sexual manner. This practice is of ethical concern given that it moral permissibility in a workplace is debatable. With sexual harassment, the relationship between perpetrators of this act and their victims can suffer and translate to reduced interactions at work. It can also lead to limited commitment at work. In the workplace, sexual harassment can occur when workers touch their colleagues with approval in a sexual manner.

It may also mean compromising with other workers by forcing them into sexual acts for them to receive favors.Lack of fairness can be considered as another area that presents ethical issues. In a business environment, workers expect to be treated fairly like others workers. Unfair treatment can affect the morale of workers and leads to high turnover of workers. As an example, the workers can be given more work than their colleagues who may do less work. Other workers may also be receiving better pay than those who face marginalization in their workplace because of their gender or ethnicity (Fry & Irwin, 2007).

In conclusion, ethical expectation plays an important role shaping how people relate in their workplace. In many workplaces, the practice of drug testing can cause friction between the management and the employees who may feel that they have been undermined. In some cases, falsification of information can also cause conflicts in the workplace as this may cause some workers to gain favors in the expense of others. In instance where sexual harassment takes place, employees can experience conflicts as this ethical issue interrupts smooth interactions and relation among each other.

Most important, lack of fairness in aspects such as allocation of work or promotion can also cause conflicts in the workplace. ReferencesAllhoff, F. & Vaidya, A. J. (2008). Business in Ethical Focus: An Anthology. New York: Broad View press.Chonko, L. B. (2000) Ethics and Marketing Management: A Retrospective and Prospective Commentary. Journal of Business Research 50: 235–244.Fry, C. L & Irwin, K. S. (2007).Strengthening drug policy and practice through ethics engagement: An old challenge for a new harm reduction.

International Journal of Drug Policy 18: 75–83.Mirotta, M. J. (2009). Success with Ethics: Your Road to a Brighter Future. Bloomington: iUniverse.Sterba, J. P. (2009).Ethics: the big questions. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.