Ethical Issues at Workplace - Report Example

Legal and Ethical Issues Name: Institution: Ethical Issues at Workplace 1. Australia has nine legal systems, of which include 8 state and territory governments and one common federal system. Nevertheless, the state and territory government is the one which mainly affect the lives of Australians. Every federal and state government is inclusive of three independent branches of the government which include the judiciary, legislature, and the executive. The legislature is involved in law making; the executive government’s role is law administration, and the judiciary is involved with independent interpretation of law (DePoy & Gilson, 2012). 2. There are various legislatures that affect the community. Such legislatures include the biosafety legislature which protects the community against the hazardous nature of the plants and animal pests, potential illnesses, and environment protection (Ruggie, 2011). The employment and workplace legislature prevents the misuse of employees by employers, ensures healthy measures for employees, and assist in resolving workplace issues. The child and protection legislature aim at child protection. 3. Duty of care includes implementation of satisfactory standards which ensure safety of workers and those affected by the work. It includes the funding system agreements (the client’s role in case of a hazard); meeting the health and safety needs of the workers; meeting the agency regulations and policies; equal treatment of different ethnics at workplace. 4. Organizations involve the employees in the decision making by involving all stakeholders in various levels in problem evaluation; establishment of strategies; and implementation of new ideas. Stakeholders are offered a chance to participate in goal setting, determination of work schedules and suggestion making (Schwartz et al., 2012). 5. One method of monitoring work performance of a team involves personal observance. The team watches the team members as they carry out various tasks which reveal much about the work. This way, it is possible to identify the weakness of every member at work so as to come up with improvement strategies which will assist in achievement of the team’s goals. 6. Information sharing is very significant so as to keep employees updated about the financial status of the company (Ruggie, 2011). Training is a vital support because it offers the employee with the developmental opportunities that enable them to make effectual decisions for the organization’s success. Rewards ought to be provided which takes note of good performance, effective ideas, and suggestions. 7. The scope of a human resource manager in my organization includes overseeing the employment-employee relations, benefits and compensation, and training and development (Schwartz et al., 2012). Human resource managers ought to have extensive knowledge and skills in the employment legal law, planning, and employee relationship. The human resource manager is in charge of training management, compensation management, and recruitment activities. Human resource manager should not be involved in any form of discrimination against recruits for issues such as ethnicity, sex, and religion. 8. Clients in an organization have the right to privacy and confidentiality except when it is of hazardous nature (DePoy, & Gilson, 2012). Clients have the right to safety and right to be informed. So as to protect the clients’ rights, I would ensure that all services are handled professionally so as to maintain safety of the clients. I would inform the clients about the purpose, goals, and consequences of suggested relationship. 9. Ethics refers to rules that govern action depending on what is considered morally acceptable. It refers to the societal belief that something is not good. Morality refers to the belief and acknowledgement that particular acts or behaviors are acceptable or unacceptable. Ethical thinking refers to the act of directing ones thoughts towards passivity to morally right issues and the benefits of avoiding certain behavior. 10. The difference between legal and ethical issues is that ethical refers to do doing something which is morally right, legal issues refers to drafted rules and they are followed as guidelines (Ruggie, 2011). Many legal issues originate from ethical issues while ethical issues are based on morality and perception. 11. Business ethics are vital in application of any leadership role in an organization. As a team leader it is significant to recognize that a business ought to work beyond the profit making motive and incorporate systems that work for everyone with the current high rates of globalization. For instance as a human resource manager of an organization, I ought to apply various ethical programs that aim at to prevention of acts such as discrimination, sexual harassment, and maintenance of mutual respect. 12. The principles of ethical decision making include: relativism (self, cultural, and religious interests); utilitarianism (determination of consequences of a certain behavior); universalism (treatment of people with respect); rights (personal entitlement of choice, freedom of speech, and joy); and justice (fairness and equality). 13. The various code of ethics in the community service sector include; the welfare and safety of clients should be highly guarded; the workers safeguard the security and confidentiality of clients; workers ought to accept continuous training which aim at providing quality services to the clients’ so as to avoid cases of unintended harm (Ruggie, 2011). 14. If a person discovers that work colleagues have violated the company ethical code, a person’s owns sense about the issue comes into question. It depends on the employee feeling about the same issue which determines whether he will report or just ignore the issue (Schwartz et al., 2012). To avoid this, many companies have written company policies which are approved by every employee. The written policy also provides a clear direction of how to report such issues. 15. Various ethical dilemmas at workplace include; nepotism (where HR managers are tempted to provide jobs for their family members); dappled decisions (considering of a person’s age, gender, financial status before firing); breaking the law (many employees are in a dilemma when supervisors order them to do something they find unacceptable, or violation of federal employment law) (Beeri, Dayan, Vigoda-Gadot & Werner, 2013). 16. Ethical issues ought to be discussed with employees so that they may be fair and maintain the code of ethics while dealing with clients and avoid any form of discrimination; discrimination is legal in Australia. Ethical issues play a significant role in the success of a company; hence, it ought to be discussed with the employees. When the employer discusses ethical issues with the employee, they feel free to report cases of unethical issues amongst colleagues. 17. When a team member is exposed to different values, the ethical position of that member will change. It is because values are embodiment of what is represented by the organization and forms the foundation for the members’ behavior. There will be disengage between individual and personal values; hence, a dysfunction results. 18. When a client complains that his rights have been violated in the organization, they should be listened to so as to determine whether the rights have actually been violated. If any unethical behavior is determined, the workplace policy is applied regardless of the level of the employee. Every issue is approached with equality according to the interpretation of the business policy (Popescu, 2013). 19. Emotional abuse refers act which involves the use of verbal or nonverbal communication which aims at insulting, degrading, and cause emotional harm to an individual. Sexual abuse refers to any act that forces a client to do a sexual act against their will. Also, it may refer to acts such as rape, or denying clients access to birth control or condoms. Physical abuse refers to any intentional contact with the client’s body. Physical abuse may not always cause pain or bruises but it is unacceptable. It may involve pushing or pulling, or use of a weapon to threaten a client (Hoel, Sheehan, Cooper, & Einarsen, 2011). System abuse refers to the act of taking advantage of organizational or charitable systems so as to satisfy personal interests by acquiring goods beyond what is needed in the reality. Financial abuse in an organization refers to the act of misappropriation of money and assets that belongs to stakeholders to obtain property and funds without their full approval. 20. When cases of abuse are witnessed and there is evidence, the employer may decide to take the case to the legal system depending on type of abuse involved. Cases such as rape, use of weapon to threaten, weapon or physical harm is beyond the company’s policies and it becomes a legal case. Depending on the seriousness of the abuse, the employee may even lose the job. 21. A legal guardian’s responsibility is to take decisive measures within their area of specialization for another person (Popescu, 2013). Legal guardians are substitute decision makers. They are appointed in instances when various decisions ought to be made but the individual is not capable of doing so. 22. Determining staffing requirements is a very process for the success of the company and requires a precise forecast which involves anticipation of the future ultimatum and workforce proportion. The process involves the quantification of labor demand and supply. Demand for employees depends on current company volume, possible extension, and reduction in sales. Workforce availability is influenced by retirements, resignations and relocations. All these factors ought to be quantified to carry out an evaluation. 23. The following questions ought to be developed before developing a job specification: what are number of years of experience are required for the job; what kind of skills and level of education are required for the position; what personal attributes are required for the position? 24. It is important to consult others for job description so as to nurture greater sense of ownership in the company. The information collected from the employee will be useful in determining what to include in the job description. The staff will be vital in determination of the resources that will be required for the new job (Popescu, 2013). 25. The greatest challenge accompanied by recruitment of new staff includes the staff training and convincing them on how they can impact the company’s goals. Some people find it hard to integrate into a new environment. This scenario is common to early childhood education sector. References Schwartz, M. W., Hellmann, J. J., McLachlan, J. M., Sax, D. F., Borevitz, J. O., Brennan, J., & Zellmer, S. (2012). Managed relocation: integrating the scientific, regulatory, and ethical challenges. BioScience, 62(8), 732-743. Popescu, G. H. (2013). Macroeconomics, Effective Leadership, and the Global Business Environment. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice, (2), 170-176. Beeri, I., Dayan, R., Vigoda-Gadot, E., & Werner, S. B. (2013). Advancing ethics in public organizations: The impact of an ethics program on employees’ perceptions and behaviors in a regional council. Journal of business ethics, 112(1), 59-78. Ruggie, J. (2011). Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises. Neth. Q. Hum. Rts., 29, 224. DePoy, E., & Gilson, S. (2012). Social Work Practice with Disability: Moving from the Perpetuation of a Client Category to Local through Global Human Rights and Social Justice. Revista de Asistenţă Socială, (1), 11-22. Hoel, H., Sheehan, M. J., Cooper, C. L., & Einarsen, S. (2011). Organisational effects of workplace bullying. Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Developments in theory, research, and practice, 129-148. Read More

8. Clients in an organization have the right to privacy and confidentiality except when it is of hazardous nature (DePoy, & Gilson, 2012). Clients have the right to safety and right to be informed. So as to protect the clients’ rights, I would ensure that all services are handled professionally so as to maintain safety of the clients. I would inform the clients about the purpose, goals, and consequences of suggested relationship. 9. Ethics refers to rules that govern action depending on what is considered morally acceptable.

It refers to the societal belief that something is not good. Morality refers to the belief and acknowledgement that particular acts or behaviors are acceptable or unacceptable. Ethical thinking refers to the act of directing ones thoughts towards passivity to morally right issues and the benefits of avoiding certain behavior. 10. The difference between legal and ethical issues is that ethical refers to do doing something which is morally right, legal issues refers to drafted rules and they are followed as guidelines (Ruggie, 2011).

Many legal issues originate from ethical issues while ethical issues are based on morality and perception. 11. Business ethics are vital in application of any leadership role in an organization. As a team leader it is significant to recognize that a business ought to work beyond the profit making motive and incorporate systems that work for everyone with the current high rates of globalization. For instance as a human resource manager of an organization, I ought to apply various ethical programs that aim at to prevention of acts such as discrimination, sexual harassment, and maintenance of mutual respect. 12. The principles of ethical decision making include: relativism (self, cultural, and religious interests); utilitarianism (determination of consequences of a certain behavior); universalism (treatment of people with respect); rights (personal entitlement of choice, freedom of speech, and joy); and justice (fairness and equality). 13. The various code of ethics in the community service sector include; the welfare and safety of clients should be highly guarded; the workers safeguard the security and confidentiality of clients; workers ought to accept continuous training which aim at providing quality services to the clients’ so as to avoid cases of unintended harm (Ruggie, 2011). 14. If a person discovers that work colleagues have violated the company ethical code, a person’s owns sense about the issue comes into question.

It depends on the employee feeling about the same issue which determines whether he will report or just ignore the issue (Schwartz et al., 2012). To avoid this, many companies have written company policies which are approved by every employee. The written policy also provides a clear direction of how to report such issues. 15. Various ethical dilemmas at workplace include; nepotism (where HR managers are tempted to provide jobs for their family members); dappled decisions (considering of a person’s age, gender, financial status before firing); breaking the law (many employees are in a dilemma when supervisors order them to do something they find unacceptable, or violation of federal employment law) (Beeri, Dayan, Vigoda-Gadot & Werner, 2013). 16. Ethical issues ought to be discussed with employees so that they may be fair and maintain the code of ethics while dealing with clients and avoid any form of discrimination; discrimination is legal in Australia.

Ethical issues play a significant role in the success of a company; hence, it ought to be discussed with the employees. When the employer discusses ethical issues with the employee, they feel free to report cases of unethical issues amongst colleagues. 17. When a team member is exposed to different values, the ethical position of that member will change. It is because values are embodiment of what is represented by the organization and forms the foundation for the members’ behavior. There will be disengage between individual and personal values; hence, a dysfunction results. 18.

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