Business and Professional Ethics (cont’d)

I once had a colleague whose watch words were “Work by order, get pay straight.” He was someone with influence in the organisation who I bounced my thoughts off or would try to get his support on a subject before raising it in the boardroom. However, his approach was always to wait to see the boss’s reaction to the subject first before he gave the support he promised. If the boss shared my perspective on the matter, my colleague would be the first person to chime in with, “I was thinking the same thing.”

However, if the boss shared a different perspective, the colleague either remain muted or supported the boss’s perspective. He always reverted to his watch words “Work by order, get pay straight.” He was not prepared to trade the favours he received for always agreeing with the boss in exchange for any other cause. There are more people like that colleague than there are not. Same people, different watch word including, “Drink water and mind my business”, “Stay in my lane” or “Look out for yourself.”

Last week we deviated from the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Wages Regulations 2024 to touch on business and professional ethics. We established that business and professional ethics dictate the conduct of organisations and individuals. Furthermore, the absence of professional ethics will result in poor business ethics. Parthiban R in a LinkedIn article titled “Professional Ethics Importance”, states that professional ethics is the foundation that every profession is built on. These sets of principles influence the decision-making and conduct. They create acceptable parameters that facilitate trust and integrity. There are five pillars that professional ethics are built on.

Professional Integrity is the practice of upholding a high moral standard of conduct. It involves being honest, dependable, and trustworthy. Professional integrity is demonstrated in honest communication, in responsible actions, in the ability to keep one’s promises, and in supporting the values of an organisation, as long as it is in accordance with the law of the land.

Respect involves acknowledging the work of others and treating people with esteem, especially people that there is nothing to gain from. This also means that the confidentially and privacy of stakeholders are protected. Professional responsibility is the set of standards and obligations that professionals are expected to adhere to in their field. It includes the duty to behave ethically and to exercise due care and responsibility when making judgments and decisions for others. This also means taking responsibility of actions and accountability for mistakes.

Professional competence is a combination of skills, knowledge, and attributes that help people succeed in their careers. It is a process of continued professional development which ensures that professionals remain abreast of current and developing trends, theories and models and are able to deliver the highest quality of work.  Professional fairness dictates how stakeholders, including employees and customers are treated. Stakeholders should be treated impartially and equally. It is important that decisions are based on objective criteria and are not influenced by personal interests or biases.

Last week we shared six significant steps in the thinking process of the ethical decision making tool that was designed by the Hong Kong Business Ethics Development Centre. Here are the PLUS standards, four key factors to consider after you would have followed the six steps:

l Professional/trade-related/company code of conduct: Are violations to my professional, industry-specific or company code of conduct?

l Legal requirements: Is it against the law?

l Uncompromising self-values: Does it correspond with my self-values, such as loyalty and fairness?

l Sunshine test: Can I disclose my decision to others openly and honestly without misgivings?

Professional ethics is important for cultivating trust and credibility with stakeholders. It sustains integrity and reputation and ensures that there is accountability. Unfortunately, it is used so flippantly.

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” – Albert Einstein

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