UN ETHICAL BEHAVIORS AT WORKPLACES
An unethical behavior can be defined as behaviour that are not morally honorable or one that is
prohibited by the law including; corruption, fraud, discrimination and harassment, insider
trading, conflicts of interest, improper use of company assets, bribery and kickbacks, compliance
procedures, ethical relations with others, illegal business donations, patent infringement and
product liability (Barrcus & Near, 1991, 12). Today, the most common ones are false
communication, knowledge hiding, aggression, collusion, conflicts of interest, gifts and
kickbacks, health services providers ‘unfair practices, insider trading, discrimination and
harassment, and embezzlement.
Moral rights / values are those that are generally acceptable for the common good of mankind.
Legal rights are rights that a person is entitled to enjoy as enforced by the state or government.
Human rights are rights that are enjoyed by every human being.
Similarities
They are all rights that can enable an individual to enjoy free, just and fair life.
Their protection improves the quality of people
Moral rights are the basis of legal and human rights.
Moral rights and legal are crucial in understanding the nature of human beings
Differences
Scope. Human rights are universal and timeliness. Legal rights differ from state to state, moral
rights differ from person to person and professional rights differ from profession to profession.
Formulation. Human rights are natural and universal. They are not formulated by the state or law
whereas legal and professional rights are formulated.
There is no documented universal punishment for violation of human rights but the punishment
for violation of legal and professional rights are vary from state to state and profession to
profession.
Causes of un ethical behaviour among engineers at workplaces
Psychological traps
Here an individual or organization is encouraged to move in a certain (unethical) direction once a
psychological trap is present. Later, the action turns out to be disastrous and there are usually no
simple means of reversing it. Because they are psychological in nature, some of these traps
distort perceptions of right and wrong so that one actually believes his or her unethical behavior
is right. If people are not aware of these traps, they can act as illusions or webs of deception.
Once the traps are identified, however, they lose much of their power to ensnare, and people can
more easily circumvent them just as voyagers who know the location of quicksand can navigate
around it. When danger is clearly identified, one can prepare for it and avoid it. These are
categorized into;
i. Primary Traps
Primary traps are predominantly comprised of external stimuli. They are the main traps that
impel people to move in a certain direction without regard for ethical principles. “Obedience to
Authority” is a clear example of a primary trap. Children are primed to obey their parents their
survival depends upon it and in school, this conditioning continues. Students automatically know
that they must show deference to their teachers. Consequently, later in life, when the boss orders
an employee to do something, many people quickly obey without thinking.
ii. Personality Traps
Personality traps consist exclusively of internal stimuli in the form of various personality traits
that can make people more vulnerable to wrongdoing. An example of a personality trap is the
“Need for Closure,” that is, “the desire for a definite answer on some topic, any answer, as
opposed to confusion and ambiguity.” It is the tendency to jump on the first opinion that comes
to mind, rather than tolerating a state of uncertainty and taking the time to consider a problem or
judgment from many different angles. The need for closure is augmented under work conditions
that make processing information more difficult, namely time pressure, fatigue, and excessive
background noise. When such conditions exist, it is more difficult to tolerate a state of confusion
and ambiguity.
iii. Defensive Traps
These are basically attempts to find easy ways to reverse course after a transgression has been
committed. For the most part, defensive traps are maneuvers that are reactions to two internal
stimuli: guilt and shame. Guilt and especially shame are very painful emotions because they call
into question the positive view that people have of themselves.
Defensive traps are insidious because they are often very successful at annihilating or at least
minimizing guilt and shame. They help people deny their transgressions, thus setting them up for
repeated unethical behavior. An example of a defensive trap is the “False Consensus Effect.”
Poor Leadership
Alcohol and drug abuse
Pressure to meet unrealistic business objectives and deadlines
Ignorance and not knowing the seriousness of the consequences when caught are causes
of unethical behaviors.
Desire to further one‘s career
Desire to protect one‘s livelihood
Competition for scarce resources
Power or position.
Character
Peer / social influence
