Ethics in the work place

Ethics: “a system of moral principles; with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness or badness of the motives and ends of such actions,” (http://dictionary.reference.com).

Ethical principles are important for every organisation because employees need to follow the same standards, regardless of personal values and different cultural backgrounds. Without ethical principles to follow in the workplace, employees make decisions based on their own values, and different values can clash, so management needs ethical principles to set standards for employees (http://everydaylife.globalpost.com).

 Sexual relations between employees are something that is regarded as unethical.  They can be interpreted as sexual harassment and become defamatory, as in the case of Cosatu General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi:

 

Sexual harassment: “unwanted conduct of a sexual nature,” (http://www.labourprotect.co.za).

According to (http://www.citypress.co.za), Vavi was accused of sexually assaulting a female colleague who then demanded R2 million for the problem to go away.

This part alone raises the question whether these allegations have weight at all. Why would she blackmail him if she was raped?

City Press also stated that Vavi admitted to having to having consensual sex with the complainant in a Cosatu office in January this year. “I have to be truthful to the public, I have to deal with my family for not being faithful and it is a difficult matter. I apologise to everyone for having had an affair while I have a perfect marriage. I shouldn’t have done that, it was a bad error on my side, I shouldn’t have had a relationship at all,” Vavi told City Press.

This is exactly why Sexual relations with a colleague are a bad idea. It seems exciting at the time, maybe even beneficial in terms of getting a promotion or recognition of some sort, but in the end someone is bound to find out or get hurt. Such relationships are hard to manage, especially if one is a well-known figure in society. Maintaining a good reputation should be paramount.

Although the development of interpersonal relations is inevitable, they can result in extra-marital affairs which could destroy families and marriages. Some companies have developed consensual office relationship policies which allow consensual romances. The policies stipulate boundaries and provide processes for co-workers to complain or express concerns (http://www.slop.org).

I say NO to sexual relations in the workplace. Making it “okay” would be like adding oil to fire.

 

Sources consulted

City Press. 2013. Vavi in ‘rape, blackmail’ scandal [online]. <Available>http://www.citypress.co.za/politics/vavi-in-rape-blackmail-scandal/

Dictionary.com. 2013. Ethics [online]. <Availabe>http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethics

Globalpost. 2013. Ethical principles in the workplace [online]. <Available>http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/ethical-principles-workplace-2657.html

  Labour Protect. 2013. Code of good practice- sexual harassment [online]. <Available>http://www.labourprotect.co.za/sexual_harassement.htm

 

Society For Industrial & Organisational Psychology. 2013. Romance in the office is common [online]. <Available>http://www.slop.org/Media/News/office_romance.aspx