Code of Ethical Conduct Issues - Research Paper Example

of Ethical Conduct of Ethical Conduct of ethical conduct forms the basis for an organization, department,or a business in the dealings within and outside the business or entity in a professional, legal, and ethical manner (Blythe & Mani, 2013). The employees, management, and leadership of an organization are held accountable and have to adhere to the code of ethical conduct in all their actions. The need for support in the development and implementation of a code of ethical conduct in an organization is high to ensure success in the use of the code of conduct as a guideline for all employee actions. This study aims at providing a guideline for the development of a code of ethical conduct in a Police department through analysing how the ethical policy will be established, resources to be used, and communication to members of the organization. Other facets to be analyzed are an inspection for compliance and reinforcement. The establishment of the ethical policy will follow certain guidelines including the establishment of a committee to guide the ethical policy development and implementation process (Hendrikse & Hendrikse, 2003). Setting the goals and objectives to be achieved by the code of ethics forms the basis for the development allowing the committee to have a set aim in developing the ethical policy. The committee tasked with the development will be compromised of a representative from all levels of responsibility of the department from the management to the lowest ranking. The representatives will discuss with the members of their teams and present their views on the code of ethical conduct for deliberation to ensure all the employees are involved in the development of the ethical policy. After the committee comprising of diverse organization members in terms of responsibility, position, leadership role, among other characteristics, data collection will begin. All stakeholders, management, employees, leaders, commanders, Sherriff, sweepers, secretaries, suppliers, tea-girl, and each person who will be affected from the development of the code of conduct will be required to have an input on the ethical policy development. The use of focus groups among members of the same level of responsibility and leadership in the Department and in-depth interviews and surveys by the committee will allow for a comprehensive, all-encompassing code of conduct development. The committee will then present the issues, views, and opinions obtained from data collection for deliberation and discussion to tailor the code to the goals and objectives of the development of the ethical policy. The information are narrowed down, summarized and formulated to form the content and outline of the code of conduct with input from all committee members to ensure acceptance by all stakeholders. The draft is presented to the leaders for review and comment on the draft and recommends changes and alterations considering the views of all stakeholders (Lussier, 2008). After all the deliberations and decisions have been made and the ethical policy document is well accepted by all the organization’s stakeholders, the document will then be written for printing and distribution in a simple and clear manner. The next phase is the distribution of the code of conduct to the employees for review and opinions on changes before the final document is accepted as the code of conduct binding each stakeholder at the police department. The copy of the ethical policy presentation to the department’s lawyer and await approval from the police department regulating authority are the other measures before final unveiling and adoption. The code of ethics will draw references, insightful information and guidelines rules and regulations that govern performance, professionalism, duty to citizens, and law abidance by the police. Changes in the rules and requirements and improvements in the functions of the police will also guide in the development of the code of ethical conduct. The code of ethical conduct will be designed to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations of police departments and the adherence to the rule of law. The constitution will also act as an important reference in the development of the ethical policy through ensuring that stipulations in the policy does not contravene any of the laws set by the constitution. Statutory Acts, employment contracts and police service requirements are the other reference points that will form the basis for ethical policy development at the police department. The moral fabric of the society and the guidelines on moral behaviour will also aid in the development of a comprehensive ethical policy at the department. Communication will be a continuous process in the development of the code of conduct for the police department. The representatives of the different facets of the stakeholders will communicate to their constituents on the progress of the code of ethics development process. Surveys will be presented to the employees at a general meeting, and the committee will personally meet selected sample employees for interviews. The employees will have information on the code of conduct development through the noticeboards, on SMS, e-mail, and in meetings with all the employees explaining the progress of the development. When the code will be ready, the code will be displayed in strategic locations of the organizations from the reception and their workstations. The employees will be informed during a meeting set for the unveiling of the code of conduct and thanking each employee for their input and calling on each of them to follow the code of conduct in their actions within and without the department. All employees will be required to sign and pledge to perform their duties in compliance and as guided by the code of ethical conduct to ensure compliance. Line managers and supervisors of the different facets of the employee population will act as ambassadors for the compliance to the ethical policy. The other measure is promoting a culture at the department of the performance of duties in accordance with the code of conduct and inculcating the culture to new employees allowing for easy compliance. New employees will have to sign and pledge to work following the set guidelines in the code of conduct. Breach of the code of conduct will be dealt with in a prompt, effective, and fair manner against the employees who do not adhere allowing others members to adhere. To ensure all employees adhere to the code of conduct, awards for the most ethical employees will be unveiled. The management will aid in ensuring compliance through informing all that compliance is mandatory for all including employees on contract, interns, and every member of the department. The seriousness of the code of ethical conduct will be ensured through organizing an unveiling event to launch and officially adopt the policy. All employees will be invited, and the adherence to the policy will be emphasized. The event will provide a platform for emphasizing the importance of the code and the benefits it conveys to the ethical conduct and performance of the organization. Adherence to the leadership and management of the department will allow all the employees understand the importance and follow the code of ethical conduct. Inviting the commissioner of police or any high-ranking official in the police to unveil the code of conduct will allow the employees to understand the seriousness. During meetings and training for the employees, the adherence to the code of conduct will be emphasized to reinforce the seriousness. References Blythe, S. & Mani, P. (2013). Career Development Practice in Canada: Perspectives, Principles, and Professionalism. Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling. Hendrikse, J. W., & Hendrikse, L. (2003). Business Governance Handbook: Principles and Practices (Vol. 1). Juta and Company Ltd. Lussier, R. (2008). Management fundamentals: Concepts, applications, skill development. New York: Cengage Learning. Read More