Introduction
Flexibility, or the ability to change, is a fundamental condition for any business venture to thrive in a competitive environment (Jeurissen). It is worth noting that employees also need to move along with these developments, not forgetting the fact that they are expected to be flexible as well. In this case, the interests of the employees need to be put into consideration. These considerations include issues such as insecurity about their job, work-related stress and the necessity to constantly keep up their knowledge and skills (Mamorsky). In many ways, the relationship between the employer and the employee has arisen. Consequently, mutual moral responsibilities of the employers and employees take on different aspects.
Geert Hofstede
According to Professor emeritus Geert Hofstede, there is a trend that is taking place with regard to workplace operations. This implies that there is a need to take note of the differences which exist in the workplace with regard to the different cultures which are represented within an organization. According to Geert, cultures are constructs which may not exist in a tangible sense. They play a major role with regard to the formulation of values, beliefs and principles within an organization. Therefore, understanding the cultures of the employees as well as putting into consideration the culture of the organization plays an important role with regard to the kind of employer and employee relationship.
The Gulf Cooperation Council
This is a conglomeration of different countries which are found in the Arabian Peninsula. These countries have unique work culture due to the fact that they have an economic agreement which contributes to their unique work culture. This region is one of the fast-growing economic regions in the world due to the fact that they have vast amounts of oil and natural gas. Due to this, the region has opted to get workforce from outside the region to meet the growing demands for growth.
Some of the laws and regulations which are governing this region differ from one state to another. For instance, the employment laws in Qatar are regulated, but the Labour Law number 14 of 2004. This law regulates the relationship between the employer and the employee. It ensures that the employer and the employee have got numerous protection rights.
In this country, priority is given to Qatari citizens. In this case, employment is given to the non-Qatari citizens where there is no qualified Qatari. It is also worth to note the fact that the employment contracts must be done in Arabic and be registered in the Labour Department.
Ethics
Ethics may be defined as a discipline which deals with what s good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. It is a set of moral principles or values that guides the decisions that a person makes (Jeurissen). Ethics is important in organizations. This has been highlighted with the scandals which have received much public attention in the recent past. Thus it follows that there is a need to have sound ethical practices which ensure that a business is successful in the business setting. The employers who adopt sound ethical police find it useful because it is in their own interest to do so. Essentially, some of the basic and specific reasons that organizations give for initiating ethics programs and encouraging good in organizations include; it is right and moral, ethics programs lessen legal liability in the form of lawsuits against the organization for malpractice, product liability, or violation of federal rules and regulations, society benefits from improved business ethics, ethics programs aid in decision making, ethics programs boost employee morale, and ethics programs often result in better customer relations and improved public image (Jeurissen).
Employers and employee responsibilities
More and more businesses recognize that people are their most important source of added value. Together, people represent the ‘social capital’ of a business: the value the business owes to the mutual trust and the effort, loyalty, willingness to collaborate, creativity and knowledge of its people (Mamorsky). The question is how businesses can preserve this social capital now they are confronting their employees with increasing insecurity, reorganizations and business disclosures. A business and organizations focus on preserving and promoting social capital goes hand in hand here with an ethical focus on the question of what a good life is with regard to work, how employees’ virtues can be promoted and what, from a moral point of view, is an acceptable employment policy in turbulent times.
Conclusion: Employability
Finally, employability implies the right of employees to participate. Making employees responsible for their employability implies that the management shares with them the responsibility for decisions taken in the business that influence the employability of employees (Mamorsky). Now that employees increasingly share the entrepreneurial risk, they more than ever before have a legitimate claim on the part of the control of the business. Only when employability develops into an obvious joint responsibility of both employers and employees, can there be a valuable working relationship that is just on both sides, that contributes to the preservation of the social capital of the business and that, within the new circumstances, is of no lesser quality than the ‘old’ psychological contract.
Works Cited
Jeurissen, Ronald. Ethics & Business, Assen: Uitgeverij Van Gorcum, 2007. Print.
Mamorsky, Jeffrey. Employee benefits law: ERISA and beyond, New York: Law Journal Press, 1980. Print.