WORKPLACE ETHICS: PROMOTING AN ETHICAL CULTURE IN THE

NIGERIAN WORKPLACE.
Abstract
Many modern organizations are today faced with numerous challenges such as illegal
and unethical business practices in a number of business transactions. Most
organizations have come up with codes of ethics in dealing with ethical issues
challenging them. Code of ethics is the set of moral principles used by an organization to
steer the conduct of the organization, and employees in all their business activities both
internally and externally. The paper attempts a review of the relevance of workplace
ethics and the need to promote ethical culture in workplace. Findings revealed that
ethical behaviour has effects on the performance of an organization and that good
ethical behaviour has a positive correlation with organizational performance. Suitable
policy recommendations were offered which can help organizations promote ethical
culture in the Nigerian workplace.
Key words: workplace, ethics, workplace ethics, workplace culture

Introduction
In the recent years, corporate reputations were largely determined by financial
success. Businesses build trust by treating employees well, demonstrating ethical
practices and placing customers ahead of profits, Today. The rapid rise of social media
also is pressuring organizations to be more transparentor risk exposure of unethical
practices. More organizations are recognizing the value of creating ethical workplace
cultures. The percentage of companies with "strong" or "strong-leaning" ethics cultures
climbed to 66 percent last year, up from 60 percent in 2011, according to the National
Business Ethics Survey of 6,420 employees. When companies value ethical performance,
misconduct is substantially lower. In a world which can be increasingly described as a
society of organizations, The role of organizations in determining the well-being of
societies and the individuals that comprise them is incumbent upon organizational
researchers to account for. Workplace ethics is a vital area of inquiry with potentially
strong relevance to the well-being of individuals, organizations, and societies. (Mathew,
2006)

It is more crucial than ever to have an ethical workplace and it should be of

importance on how to handle common ethical dilemmas one may face, both on and off
the job essentially, individuals and organizations need to develop and refine their non
codes of ethics. Defining workplace ethics is not as simple. But generally being ethical
involves conducting yourself in accordance with accepted principles of right and wrong.
Ethics is a matter of using integrity-based decision making procedures to guide your
decisions and actions. In the workplace, being ethical may involve acting normally right,
being honest, not cheating your employer. Co-workers, or customers, not stealing from
the supply closet and generally treating your co-workers well. Workplace ethics and
behavior are crucial part of employment, as both are aspects that can assist a company in
its efforts to be profitable. In fact, ethics and behavior are just as important to most
companies as performance; high morale and teamwork are two ingredients for success.
Every business in every industry has certain guidelines to which its employees must
adhere, and frequently outline such aspects in employee handbooks (Edelman, 2008).
Workplace ethics are set of formal and informal standards of conducts that people
use to guide their behaviour at work; these standards are partly based on core values.
Such as honesty, respects, and trust, but they also can be learned directly from the action
of others. For example, what people see their organizational leaders, managers, and coworkers do on the job can influence their views of what is acceptable or unacceptable
behaviour. (NBES, 2000)
Nigeria is currently facing a lot of developmental challenges which include among
others educational, economic growth, physical infrastructures and security. These
challenges have been further accentuated by the decay in the social values with the
attendant repercussion in terms of financial, economic, moral, educational and
political/electoral corruption. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the incidents of and
frequency of public discourse on corruption were minimal. Though corrupt practices
existed in these early times of the Nigerian nation, the current dimensions have far
exceeded what they used to be. The recent financial scandals in 2012 alone include

pension funds (billions of naira), fuel subsidy (trillions of naira) and sale of OPL 245 oil
fields. Corruption is now the top priority development challenge facing the three tiers of
government in Nigeria. The work attitudes, integrity, self-discipline, teamwork, emphasis
on quality, commitment and productivity of the Nigerian workers have painted a rather
negative picture of an apathetic, uncommitted men and women, who are unresponsive to
motivational techniques (Dori, 2014).
The Nigerian workers have been described as indolent, apathetic and unresponsive
to motivation and generally, not willing to put forth maximum productive efforts.
Whichever way we look at it, the Nigerian workers are what we have; hence we must
encourage them to make meaningful contribution to the development of the nation by
becoming more productive. The urge to attain and maintain high level of productivity is a
"sine qua non" for the establishment of commercial and business ventures. Ethical
consideration in labour management relationship is a concomitant for organizational
development. Hence, for high productivity, it is important that all stakeholders observe
ethical conducts in their dealings with one another. This must be openly displayed
through positive attitudes, committed teamwork, high integrity and self-discipline (Block,
2013).
Culture is often seen as abstract and tough to measure. It's more than all those
carefully drafted corporate values statements and ethics codesit's the way things really
work. Workplace culture includes how employees dress, how they work with customers
and how they interact with their bosses. An ethical workplace culture is one that gives
priority to employee rights, fair procedures, and equity in pay and promotion, and that
promotes tolerance, compassion, loyalty and honesty in the treatment of customers and
employees. The need for corporate ethics is strong. In a marketplace of unfair
competition, underhanded practices, and consumer distrust, the company that emerges
with its integrity intact becomes a preferred consumer choice. This due to the fact that the
economic situation of Nigeria is very appalling and the sectors perceived to be booming
have recently experienced some shortfalls which has affected growth and development.
Some organizations have ended operations due to the poor socio-economic climate while

others have adopted stringent measures from mergers to downsizing amongst other ways
of ensuring business sustainability (Michael, 2013).
Hence, in the struggle to ensure continuity in operations, some unethical measures
have been adopted. From outright dismissal to unpaid compensations and generally noncompliance to labour laws, this has raised several issues as well as legal suits. Employee
misconduct in Nigerian firms is another big issue that calls for the need for ethical culture
to be promoted. Some employees are lacking in ensuring acceptable moral behavior is
exhibited in the workplace. Several confrontations emerge as well as distrust, resentment,
abuse of power, disregard for superiors and disobedience to orders. This poor attitude at
work tells heavily on workplace productivity. The desperation of the productive
enterprise to achieve corporate goals and workers' desire for equity has naturally affected
etiquette, integrity, self discipline and by extension the level of performance and
productivity within the framework of employment relationship (Block, 2013, Dori, 2014).
The advantages of a strong ethical culture are manifold. Studies repeatedly show
that businesses with strong ethical cultures tend to have employees who are more
engaged and committed. Turnover among workers tends to be lower and productivity
higher. Employees feel less pressure to compromise company standards (and if they do
observe misconduct, they are more likely to feel comfortable reporting it). A company is
better protected from the risks of misconduct when its culture is ethically strong. It is
important for staffers to focus on accomplishing key company goals and developing good
working relationships in the office, but it is equally important to ensure ethical conduct
among employees. Ethical conduct ensures that your business maintains a reputation for
sound professional principles and values that are directly in line with the company
mission. There are a few different ways we can promote ethical culture in the workplace.
We shall discuss some of the ways by which ethical culture can be made more effective in
the Nigerian workplace in the literature review.
Statement of the Problem

Managers play a major role in determining whether employees embrace a companys

values. If mangers and top leaders dont model ethical behaviour or enforce rules in a fair
manner, employees loose trust. Sometimes good people can get swept into ethical
behaviour, forced to cut corners to attain performance goals or given objectives that they
believe are unattainable, therefore employees may feel pressured to compromise ethical
standards and lose trust in their managers (Steven, 2014).
At a time when many organizations are embracing risk taking, all executives should view
ethics as more than a way to simply reduce risks. Rather ethical guidelines benefit
organizations by steering employers away from ethical risk taking and into more
productive and appropriate kinds of risk taking. It is fine to have a structure that tells
people they need to report it when someone does something wrong, but thats not the
main reason to have an ethics program. Ethical guidelines, in the form of policies and
practices give employees the basic tools they need to have inform risks on behalf of their
organizations (Winter, 2000).
Programs on ethics in the workplace are meant to affect how people think about and
address ethical issues that arises on the job, but organizations seek to create a work
environment where its okay for employees and workers to acknowledge that they have an
ethical dilemma and resources are readily available to guide employees in working
through such dilemmas before making the decisions by providing employees with ethics
standards, training, and resources to get advice.
Discussion of workplace ethics can raise sensitive issues some people in the organization
may have difficulty or be uncomfortable discussing, managers and leaders in the
workplace on the notion to please some employees, try to adopt a particular principle by
not changing the laid down ethical construct in the workplace, but try to bend the rule,
which may be detrimental to the status of the workers or subordinate and even affect the
culture and the predetermine aim of the organization. For the workplace to lack an ethical
standard, the employer risks losing valuable employees and customers and possibly more,
once employees see others breaking rules without repercussions, they get fed up and
leave the company which may have negative effect on the output of the organization.
Literature Review
Conceptual Clarifications
Workplace
The workplace is the physical location where someone works. Such a place can revenge
from a home office to a large office building or factory. The workplace is one of the most

important social spaces other than the home. Constituting a central concept for several
entitles; the worker and his/her family, the employing organization, the customers of the
organization and the society as a whole (Jackson, 2004).
Ethics
Ethics is a set of principles of right conduct. It is also the rules of standards governing the
conduct of a person or the members of a profession.
Workplace Ethics
This is a group of normal principles, standards of behaviour, or set of values regarding
proper conduct in the workplace. It serves as a guideline to ensure that employees and
employers maintain a certain level of acceptable moral behavior in the attainment of
corporate goals.
COMPONENTS OF WORKPLACE ETHICS
Behavior
All companies specify what acceptable behavior is, and what is not, when hiring an
employee. Many even summarize expected conduct in job descriptions or during the
interview process. Behavior guidelines typically address topics, such as harassment, work
attire and language. Workers who dont follow codes of conduct may receive written and
verbal warnings, and ultimately be fired.
Integrity
A key component to workplace ethics and behavior is integrity, or being honest and doing
the right thing at all times. For example, health care employees who work with mentally
or physically challenged patients must possess a high degree of integrity, as those who
manage and work primarily with money. Workers with integrity also avoid gossip and
sneakiness while on the job.
Accountability
Taking responsibility for your actions is another major factor when it comes to workplace
ethics and behavior. That means showing up on scheduled workdays, as well as arriving

on time and putting in an honest effort while on the job. Workers who exhibit
accountability are honest when things go wrong, then work toward a resolution while
remaining professional all the while.
Teamwork
A vital aspect of the workplace is working well with others. That includes everyone from
peers to supervisors to customers. While not all employees will always like each other,
they do need to set aside their personal or even work- related differences to reach a larger
goal. In many instances, those who are not considered team players can face demotion
or even termination. On the other hand, those who work well with others often can
advance on that aspect alone, with teamwork sometimes even outweighing performance.
Commitment
Ethical and behavioral guidelines in the workplace often place a high amount of
importance on dedication. Although possessing the necessary skills is essential, a strong
work ethic and positive attitude toward the job can carry you a long way. Plus, dedication
is often viewed in the business world as contagious, meaning employees who give a
strong effort can often inspire their co-workers to do the same.
BENEFITS & IMPORTANCE OF WORKPLACE ETHICS
Workplace ethics are significant to business and provide numerous benefits.
Asset Protection
A strong ethical culture within business is important in safeguarding the assets of the
organization. Employees who abide by the workplace ethics would be able to protect and
respect the businesss assets. For example, they would avoid making personal long
distance calls using the businesss lines. Workers can only respect company property
when they are treated with respect and dignity, which makes them feel proud to be
working for the organization, which increases employee pride and discourages them from
stealing supplies or equipment.

Productivity and Teamwork

Workplace ethics is integral in fostering increased productivity and teamwork among the
employees. It helps in aligning the values of the business and the workers. Achieving this
alignment requires that the employers must encourage consistent dialogue regarding the
values of your business, which enhances community, integrity and openness among
employees. Ethics enable the workers to feel a strong alignment between their values and
those of the business, while this will help them show such feelings through increased
productivity and motivation.
Public Image
You earn a lot of respect and cultivate a strong image in the public domain when you
make ethical choices. For instance, you can fulfill your corporate social responsibility by
reducing waste discharge from your business. The public would consider your business to
be operating with honor and integrity while valuing people over profits. Building a strong
public image through ethical conduct also earns you more clients. Customers would
develop trust in you and do business with your organization.
Decision-Making
Ethical conduct in the workplace encourages a culture of making decisions based on
ethics. It also enhances accountability and transparency when undertaking any business
decisions. During turbulent times, a strong ethical culture guides you in managing such
conflicts by making the right moves. It helps to introduce change successfully in the
organization, which can be a challenge. Ethical conducts within the business sensitizes
the employer and the employee on how to act consistently even in difficult times.
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF ETHICAL COMPLIANCE IN THE
WORKPLACE
Ethical compliance within an organization is done for the benefit of the company and the
employees. The use of ethical standards can both reduce the chances of a workplace

lawsuit and help to create a positive work environment. Before establishing corporate
ethical policies, there is need to understand both the advantages and disadvantages of
ethical compliance in an organization.
Advantages
Laws
Local, state and federal laws help to guide part of a companys ethical policies. For
example, a zero tolerance corporate policy for sexual harassment is in response to the
many laws that govern this kind of workplace activity.
Ethical compliance helps companies to develop a work culture that abides by the
workplace laws and reduces the costs associated with fines and lawsuits.
Workplace Culture
A policy of ethical compliance helps to create a workplace culture where all employees
are treated with respect. Employees are given equal access to advancement opportunities
and the workplace becomes a positive and nurturing environment. A strong ethical
standard in the workplace helps to create strong working relationships between the staff
and management. It reduces employee turnover, improves morale and has a positive
effect on productivity.
Disadvantages
Lack of Management Support
One of the disadvantages of an ethical compliance program is that it requires the
comprehensive support of management to be effective. If members of the management
team decide to apply their own version of corporate ethics to the way they manage their
departments, then this clash of principles can cause confusion in the workplace. For
example, a manager who tends to look the other way when his employees are committing
sexual harassment sets a precedent that can start to undermine the entire corporate
culture.

Costly
Developing, implementing and maintaining an ethics compliance program within the
organization can be expensive and time-consuming, according to attorney Michael G.
Daigneault, writing for the Maryland Association of CPAs. Ethics policies need to be
continually updated to reflect changes in workplace laws and changes in your company
culture as the organization grows. Proper administration of an ethics program often
requires the hiring of an ethics officer and the commitment of company financial and
personnel resources.
ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER IN WORKPLACE ETHICS
Human Resource professionals help lay out the expectations for employees by
developing written standards of ethical workplace conduct, providing training to
make sure everyone is aware of the expectations and equipping managers to
reinforce the companys values through their actions.
Human Resource professionals are in a unique position to help to build an ethical
workplace culture because their involvement in hiring, training and evaluating
employees allows them to influence their organizations at many levels.
As guardians, they have a duty to protect their organizations employees, customers
and clients from unethical conduct.
As champions, they can help their organizations flourish by promoting ethical
values in daily operations and by building trust.
Promoting an Ethical Culture in the Nigerian Workplace
Having examined the benefits of workplace ethics, we shall examine workplace ethics a
way to promote an ethical culture in the Nigerian workplace.
Ways to Promote Ethical Culture in the Nigerian Workplace.
1. Train Employees

Once individuals are hired, ongoing training is critical to maintain a heightened level of
awareness of ethical choices employees will face on the job. The problem with
workplaces in Nigeria is that people are employed and provided with a handbook
containing rules and regulations which are often not followed. The rules only exist in the
books and misconduct in the workplace is not given the appropriate sanctions.
You can't expect your staff to act ethically in accordance with your company's code of
ethics if they don't know what that code is or why it's important. Hold regular sessions on
ethics and how to approach ethical dilemmas among staff. The more training and
resources you provide, and the greater emphasis you place on being ethical and acting
accordingly, the more your staff understands exactly what you expect in the office.
Sometimes good people can get swept into unethical behavior, and since workplace
diversity involves different people from different backgrounds, it is important to train
employees of the acceptable ethical conduct in the workplace.
2. Reward Ethical Behavior
When bad things go unpunished or are ignored, that can lead to even worse behavior. It
sends the message "We don't care." Far too often, companies simply expect ethical
behavior; however, if you want to promote this as a prominent behavior among staff, then
you need to show and prove, so to speak. Reward brings motivation and if you want to
promote a strong ethical culture in the workplace, ethical behavior must be given
appropriate reward. Very few organizations in Nigeria do this simply because of the cost
of reinforcement and the need to maximize profit. They play down the advantages of
workplace ethics and focus solely on the mission of the business enterprise. When a
policeman in Nigeria refunds a huge sum of money and such officer is only given
awareness through the media and a handshake from a public figure, how does that
positively reinforce the officers of the Nigerian Police to do the same next time?

Provide rewards for solid ethical behavior; for example, if you have an employee that
goes above and beyond to put her personal interests aside to always do what is best for
her clients, that is considered ethical behavior and she should be rewarded and held up as
an example for others to strive to do the same. The more you reward employees for sound
ethical decisions, the more likely the masses will follow suit.
3. Lead by Example
Leadership is a very crucial ingredient in promoting a strong ethical culture in the
workplace and in Nigeria many leaders who are rule makers are the major rule breakers.
They compel employees to resume early while they confidently stroll into the office late,
they procrastinate work while paying attention to non-work related activities. It becomes
increasingly difficult to enforce ethical behaviors when leaders are not committed to
upholding the moral guiding principles in the workplace.
To promote an ethical culture in the workplace, it begins with written standards of
conduct that are well conceived, carefully crafted and effectively implemented. But to be
meaningful, we need more than mere lip service to ethical values. Organizations with
strong ethical cultures take steps to ensure that their standards are widely accessible,
promoted and followed by their leaders and employees.
When leaders clearly uphold and highlight ethical values and standards, they are setting
an ethical tone from the top. Expect more of your management team; employees
generally follow company examples set forth for them by management employees. Hold
your managers to a higher ethical standard so that they are credible when they
communicate expectations to their staffers to do the same. Challenge management staff to
hold regular discussions with employees to work through potential ethical issues that may
come up and find ways to brainstorm through them as a team. If everyone is on the same
page, it is more likely that the team as a whole will adopt the same types of ethical
behaviors. To encourage employees to follow expected standards of behavior, leaders

must themselves commit to the message that being ethical is more important than
winning every time.
In addition to becoming strong ethical role models, todays leaders also need to identify
and remove the cultural barriers that prevent their employees from behaving ethically at
all time.
4. Consider Work-Life Balance
Professional institutions and academias are beginning to promote the concept of worklife balance across the world. The working hours in Nigeria stipulated by organizations
are often not followed and employees are made to work extra hours and even on
weekends to ensure that they stay on the job. The unemployment rate in the country in on
the high side and employees are without choices other than to take unfinished work to
their homes. Break hours is shortened and often not observed and the annual leave are
often converted into pay or a more flexible arrangement to ensure that the employee
keeps working. When the employee suffers a health challenge, they are excused for a
while just for them to recuperate fast and return to work. This is because employers of
labour in Nigeria are still profit driven to the extent that their employees have very little
time for other things aside from work.
As a result, employees device unethical ways of absconding from work to take deserved
rest or to attend to family related issues which cannot be left unattended. The truth is that
employees are most likely to make good ethical decisions at work when they have a
better sense of work-life balance. They will care less about work when they discover the
employer cares less about their well being.
It becomes important to pay attention to signs of burnout or discontent among staff, and
take steps to address these types of issues when they present themselves. Employees have
a life outside of work and the earlier we recognize and make provision for that, the better
it is for organizations in Nigeria who intend to promote ethical behavior.

Review of the study by the Nigeria Business Ethics Survey, (2000)

The 2000 NBES finds much that is encouraging for organizations that are putting their
efforts into workplace ethics. For example, employees have high expectations for ethics
within their organizations. More than nine in 10 respondents say that they expect their
organizations to do what is right, not just what is profitable. This finding suggests that
most employees are not so cynical about ethics at work. This should be encouraging news
for all executives pursuing ethics initiatives. Most recognize that the long-term success of
any program requires the active support of employees.
Findings from the NBES also show that both formal ethics programs and informal ethics
practices are related to key outcomes. Employees who work in organizations with ethics
programs, who see their leaders and supervisors modeling ethical behavior, and who see
values such as honesty, respect, and trust applied frequently at work generally report
more positive experiences regarding a range of ethics outcomes that include the
following:
Less pressure on employees to compromise ethics standards;
Less observed misconduct at work;
Greater willingness to report misconduct;
Greater satisfaction with their organizations response to misconduct they report;
Greater overall satisfaction with their organizations; and
Greater likelihood of feeling valued by their organizations.
These findings tell executives that a more positive ethical environment is strongly linked
to a focus on ethics programs, to ethical modeling by leaders and supervisors, and to the
frequent practice of key values such as honesty, respect, and trust.
Importantly for association executives, the relationships described above are even
stronger among employees in transitioning organizations - those that have undergone a
merger, acquisition, or restructuring within the last two years. The findings suggest that

organizations and employees may draw the greatest benefits of ethics programs when
times are toughest. However, this also means that the foundations for an ethics program
need to be laid in good economic times when, ironically, some of the most valuable
benefits of these programs may be least apparent.
Theoretical Background
Unitary theory
Unitary theory believes that work organization exists on a unified goals and objective.
This means that every going concern is an integrated and harmonious whole existing for a
common purpose. It assumed that each workers of the organization identifies himself
with the aims of the organization and with its modus operandi. Hence there is no conflict
of interest those supplying financial capital and their managerial representatives and
those contributing their labour and job skills.
By this view the employer and the employees are but complimentary partners to the
common aims of efficient production, high profits and good pay that is, they are value
driven in which everyone in the organization has a stake. One can sincerely say that these
theory preachers oneness, whether organization is privately owned, or like a professional
football team in which no one should rock the boat. (Fox 1996)
This perspective also clarify the role of management to include paternal towards
employees at work or at the other hand more authoritarian with a suitable communication
structure to keep employees informed about the activities of the organization. On their
own side, the employees are excepted to remain loyal to the organization and to its
management in pursuit of the organizational value (Okafor & Bode- Okunade, 2005)
However, an important implication of unitarism is that factionalization is encouraged
within the organization, or in a part of its, is seen as a pathological social condition.
Indeed, subordinate employees are not expected to challenge managerial decisions or the
locus standi to manage, while trade unionism is viewed as an illegitimate intrusion into
the unified and cooperative structure of the organization (Ogunbameru, 2004)
Based on these positions, it is assumed that industrial conflict cannot exist among the
participants and where they do it is because any of the participants has failed in its
expectation towards the organization e.g. faulty communication. Similarity, because of
the non existence of trade union and assumed absence of industrial conflict, the

instrument of resolving industrial conflict like collective bargaining is no importance to

the parties.
Conclusion
It must be emphasized that the challenge of ethical behaviour must be met by
organizations if they are truly concerned about survival uprightness, integrity, and
competitiveness. What is needed in todays complicated times is for more organization to
step forward and operate with strong, positive and ethical cultures. Organizations must
ensure that their employees know how to deal with ethical issues in their everyday work
lives. As a result, when the ethical climate is clear and positive, everyone will know what
is expected of him or her when the inevitable ethical dilemmas occur. This will definitely
give employees the confidence to be on the lookout for unwanted unethical behaviour
and act with the understanding that what they are doing is correct and will be supported
by top management of the organization.

REFERENCES
George N. Root (1985), ethical compliance in an organization
Sam Amico, (1993) workplace ethics and behaviour
Paul Jackson, Reima Suomi, (2004) e-business and workplace redesign

Lynda Moultry Belcher, Demand Media

Ways to Promote Ethical Conduct
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ways-promote-ethical-conduct-24132.html

Janice Block
How to create an ethical culture at your company
http://www.insidecounsel.com/2013/03/26/how-to-create-an-ethical-culture-at-yourcompany

Dori Meinert
Ethical Workplace Culture
http://www.shrm.org/publications/hrmagazine/editorialcontent/2014/0414/pages/0414ethical-workplace-culture.aspx

Kehinde Oladele Joseph

EFFECTS OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR ON ORGANIZATIONAL
PERFORMANCE: EVIDENCE FROM THREE SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS IN
LAGOS, NIGERIA
JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT VOLUME 8 NO 1,
JUNE, 2010