Work privilage article
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The document discusses how work should be viewed as a privilege rather than a right. It argues that in order to hold a job, one must prove themselves a responsible and ethical employee who will not abuse their position. The document outlines different types of corruption that can occur in various employment contexts and levels of an organization. It emphasizes that all employees, from frontline workers to managers, have a role to play in upholding ethics and reporting corruption to ensure the privilege of work is not abused. Maintaining strong moral values and ethical conduct is important for individual success and is what distinguishes those who understand work is a privilege, not a right.
Work privilage article
- 1. Work as a privilege – Privilege to work? For many of us, the ability to work has always been viewed as a right; guaranteed to all and universally accepted as essential. In actuality, working is a privilege; to serve a company or represent it in an official position, to qualify for an official position within the company, or to even be elected in some capacity. It’s important that we treat working as a privilege by doing everything within our power to be responsible employees, whether it be by going “above and beyond” the position held, having an impressive character, or not misusing our position for illegal actions. A famous quote by David O. McKay symbolizes the importance of understanding such responsibility. "Let us realize that: the privilege to work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is success!" When employee serve customer but don’t deliver the services that people are entitled to, it’s the same as stealing. Corruption happens at all levels of business and can involve managers, staff, suppliers and the people they serve. Statistically, the more power and access to resources people have, the higher the risk that they may be tempted into corrupt or unethical behavior. Many other practices are a form of corruption, but may not lead to a jail sentence. They will, however, be dealt with by managers, and may lead to dismissal. These include things like misusing resources (like office supplies or computers); a servant not doing the work they are paid to do; or behaving badly (like drinking on the job). Managers are very high risk because they have to make decisions and they understand the system. Staff members who work in front offices, where they directly deliver services or take
- 2. money from the public, are also high risk. The people they serve may be corrupt and try to pay for special favors through bribery. Suppliers and contractors may also be corrupt and try to subvert the proper tender processes or deliver less than agreed upon. In the U.S. alone, any witness who demands, receives, or accepts a bribe in exchange for altered testimony faces a fine of three times the value of the bribe and/or up to 15 years in prison, while anyone who bribes a witness faces a fine and/or up to two years in prison. Every public servant has a role to play in watching out for and reporting corruption. There are special staff such as auditors, security staff, and compliance officers that are dedicated to rooting out corruption. The privilege to work and serve with ethics is defined as the “moral values of human conduct” and the rules that govern how we should behave. Good values are what makes the foundation for a good employee. Many the mistake of missing the opportunity to show supervisors that they have what it takes to be successful on the job as well as possessing the personal characteristics they hold. Each profession has its own ethics that define appropriate behavior. For example, doctors should always respect confidentiality as part of medical ethics (this is also a part of HIPPA laws) and should they violate these laws, their medical practicing license may be revoked. We have dealt with corruption and the ethics involved, but there are still many other kinds of ethical behavior that apply to all workplaces – for example, not sexually harassing a colleague and not being rude to colleagues. These ethics are about moral behavior and they cover the range of our actions at work. It’s values like these that also set apart those who understand that work is a privilege, not a right and lead individual success in both life and working positions. Ludwig Eckl President/CEO Innovative Imaging Concepts Inc. [email protected] Cell: 413 262 5940