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Work Ethics and Employees' Job Performance
Article in Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics · May 2015
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4 authors:
Omotayo Adewale Osibanjo James Olalekan Akinbode
Covenant University Ota Ogun State, Nigeria Bowen University
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Hezekiah Falola Olumuyiwa Oludayo
Covenant University Ota Ogun State, Nigeria Covenant University Ota Ogun State, Nigeria
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Work Ethics and Employees’ Job Performance
Adewale Omotayo Osibanjo
Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
James Olalekan Akinbode
Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara Sate, Nigeria
Hezekiah Olubusayo Falola
Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
Akinrole Olumuyiwa Oludayo
Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
In order to attain a desired level of job performance in any work setting, a number of factors are often
considered. This paper discussed how work ethic affects workers job performance by evaluating how
either strong work ethics (SWE) or weak work ethics (WWE) can contribute to encouraging or
discouraging workers job performance. Although instances of excellent performance amidst unethical
practices have been recorded however, a sustainable performance can only be achieved through strong
work ethics. The extent to which employee encourages integrity, sense of responsibility, quality, self-
discipline and sense of teamwork in work discharge determine either strong work ethics or weak work
ethics contribute to job performance level. Literature review and theoretical ground point towards the
need for workers' to promote ethical practice and discourage unethical acts which can undermine
corporate image and excellent performance. This study proposes that strong work ethics results in
excellent work performance.
INTRODUCTION
Purposeful actions in a proactive manner are required of contemporary organizations to achieve
desired level of performance from workers with cognizance to the acceptable norms and best practices in
the industry they belong too and country of operation. In the words of Altham (2002), one of such action
known as ethicism is increasing, with work ethics as one of such actions that can bring about the desired
performance level of employees job performance, irrespective of the sharp practices and unethical work
practices of competitors in the business environment. However, there is perceived decline in work ethic
(Tolbize, 2008), an evidence of this is well established in the integrity violations by many employees in
our contemporary work organizations. Issues of fraud, theft, corruption, manipulation of information,
misconduct, and the likes are well reported now (Huberts, Kaptein, Lasthuizen, 2007). Notable scholars
are of the opinion that to remain market a leader or become industry champion, ethical behavior must be
institutionalized (Victor and Cullen 1988; & Schminke, Arnaud and Kuenzi, 2007).
Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics Vol. 12(1) 2015 107
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