Ethical decision-making constitutes the basis of a company’s performance in the global market. Although the choice of a business strategy and other essential attributes of effective organizational performance is also critical, the presence of a code of ethics must be deemed as the foundation of a company’s vision and philosophy. The presence of ethical standards defines a firm’s ability to collaborate in the target market and meet the established criteria for honesty and trustworthiness. Therefore, building a compliance and ethics program that will encourage this organization to become more responsible and promote a more sensible attitude toward managing the needs of all stakeholders whose needs the organization strives to meet.
In the construction industry, several types of ethical issues can emerge. Namely, the fraud that involves charging for high-quality materials yet substituting them with cheaper options is usually observed and, therefore, must be prevented. Likewise, staff members face lower protection against fraud since the salary terms can be easily changed, thus leading to employees’ rights being abused. Finally, the construction industry features a range of cases that involve neglecting safety issues (Owusu et al., 2019). A contemporary review of anti-corruption measures in construction project management. Project Management Journal, 50(1), 40-56.). To avoid the outlined scenarios and the problems that they may entail, the organization must follow a rigid and clear code of ethics.
For this reason, a compliance and ethics program is suggested to increase the extent of the company’s ability to meet the existing ethical requirements. Namely, the program will include changing the organization’s approach toward ensuring security and safety in the workplace, particularly, the safety standards for accidents prevention (Shah & Alotaibi, 2018). In addition, the workplace will have to be unionized so that the employees could experience the support and protection of the union. Finally, the principles of transparency, clarity, and stakeholder-oriented values will be represented in the program to increase the chances of spotting an instance of fraudulence and gain the trust of key stakeholders, as well as general audiences.
The key requirements for the program in question incorporate the necessity to adhere to the code of conduct that requires honest decision-making, minimization of negative effects, and avoidance of ethically dubious solutions. To ensure that all staff members are aware of the core principles of the company’s code of ethics, booklets with main provisions will be distributed among staff members. The booklets will feature the primary standards for ethical behavior, communication, and decision-making (Evangelinos et al., 2016). Specifically, the standards will include financial transparency, protection of workers’ rights, focus on unionization, and reinforcement of safety standards.
Furthermore, the tools for controlling compliance with the proposed guidelines must be incorporated into the range of changes to be made to the target environment. Thus, the company managers will be able to identify and isolate the instances in which staff members may struggle to follow the suggested ethical principles, as well as the situations in which loopholes can be found to avoid the established ethical principles and the resulting repercussions. Control can be executed by performing regular checks to ensure that the existing situation, especially the financial aspects of it, matches the one indicated in the reports (Shah & Alotaibi, 2018). Furthermore, compliance with the regulations that ensure safety can be enhanced by encouraging staff members to report instances of failing to meet workplace standards.
By redesigning the existing ethical framework with the help of a compliance and ethics program, one will be able to shift the staff members’ perception of ethical dilemmas in the construction setting, thus addressing the possible threats of financial mismanagement, cases of fraud, and the situations that may put the lives of construction workers in danger. With a set of rigid criteria for ethical decision-making, as well as strong values related to ethics and responsibility in the workplace, positive change can be achieved. Thus, compliance and ethics programs geared toward shaping people’s perspectives concerning the management of ethical issues must be introduced into the target workplace context.
References
Evangelinos, K., Skouloudis, A., Jones, N., Isaac, D., & Sfakianaki, E. (2016). Exploring the status of corporate social responsibility disclosure in the UK building and construction industry.International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 15(4), 377-399. Web.
Owusu, E. K., Chan, A. P., DeGraft, O. M., Ameyaw, E. E., & Robert, O. K. (2019). A contemporary review of anti-corruption measures in construction project management.Project Management Journal, 50(1), pp. 40-56. Web.
Shah, R. K., & Alotaibi, M. (2018). A study of unethical practices in the construction industry and potential preventive measures.Journal of Advanced College of Engineering and Management, 3, 55-77. Web.