Introduction
At one time or another, employees have always found themselves in a dilemma when their personal values collide with organizational protocols. These values could be founded on religious, cultural, experiences, moral and family beliefs that an individual support as ideal (Pace, 2005). Although, these values and beliefs are the main determinant of how an individual leads his/her life, one may come across a situation that threatens to squander those values and beliefs (Pace, 2005). When presented with such a situation, most individuals have no idea how to get themselves out of this quagmire. On the same note, as explained by Halpern and Murphy (2005) conflicts can impact negatively on an individual productivity. However, the focal predicament is how to strike a balance between the two without attracting dire consequences from either side (Boland, 2006).
Main Body
To begin with, Shaw (2006) underscores that to survive in a multicultural workplace an employee ought to develop a personal code of ethics. These ethics serve as a guideline to enable an employee determine what can or cannot be compromised. For instance, if am working in the medical profession, and my personal code of ethics states that euthanasia should not be granted at any circumstances, then I cannot compromise this viewpoint even if my professional career is at stake.
This view is also supported by Pace (2005) who emphasize that personal ethics are tremendously significant because they can either make or break an employee career. For instance in the situation mentioned above, I would be concerned about how a decision will make me feel, whether it makes me proud and how my family would react if they found out that if supported something we have always perceived as morally wrong.
On the other hand, personal code of ethics, albeit significant, should go hand in hand with personal work values. According to Boland (2006), personal work values are significant to an individual’s career because they enable one to resolve conflict between personal and organizational values. More often than not, an individual may be required to compromise some personal values to pave the way for some personal work values (Pace, 2005).
This is especially true if personal values and beliefs are developed out of habit rather than out of worthy considerations (Shaw, 2006). Moreover, professional ethics plus personal values enables one to determine the direction of his or her career (Boland, 2006). For instance, if my personal value is to maintain honesty and my personal work ethics states that integrity is the key, then I would be compelled to defy organizational protocols that encourage dishonesty/corrupt deals.
Similarly, Halpern and Murphy (2005) emphasize that in order to avoid collusion between personal and professional life, it is always significant to communicate personal values to the human resources manager beforehand. In such a situation, an employee can always refer to the statement when compelled to perform tasks that violate personal values (Boland, 2006).
For instance, if am working for a company that have recently decided to extend its’ business operations to 7 days a week. Then it happens that I am scheduled to work on Saturday against my religious beliefs, assuming I had communicated these beliefs prior to this managerial changes, I can always remind my boss that working on a Saturday violates my religious beliefs. This way, I can negotiate with my manager to adjust my schedule to any other day except a Saturday.
According to Shaw (2006), most work related stresses are often as a result of conflicts between personal versus organization protocols. However, since both are essential for career progression, the secret is how to strike a balance between the two (Halpern & Murphy, 2005).
Conclusion
Against this background, I understand that I am likely to encounter such conflicts along my career path, but what matters is my assertiveness, empathy, risk evaluation and above all my ability to negotiate for compromise.
References
Boland, K. (2006). Ethical Decision-Making among Hospital Social Workers. Journal of Social Worker Value and Ethics, 3(1):12-16.
Halpern, D. F. & Murphy, S. E. (2005). From work-family balance to work-family interaction: changing the metaphor. New York, NY: Routledge.
Pace, J. (2005). Professional Development Series: Books 1-4. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill College.
Shaw, P.J. (2006). The Four Vs of Leadership: Vision, Values, Value-Added, and Vitality. Mankato, MN: Capstone.