Unethical Behavior By: Ashly Pappas CJA/473 It’s sad to say that employees in almost every business will encounter unethical behavior. When employees see other employees doing something wrong because of the company’s standards, so this makes employees question what is right and wrong. When employees find that other employees are doing something that is wrong, that employee needs to consider how they feel about this and who to inform. When employees discover unethical behavior this can lead to a number of difficult choices, like if the employee should speak to the individual directly or speak to the company supervisor.
To help make decisions like this easier companies have to come up with techniques like creating a company policy in writing that is signed by each employee. This helps to decide what to do when things like this happen. A clear outline is to be given of what is expected of each employee. This outline should note who to contact if unethical behavior is witnessed. This will show people how to do it and show less hesitation with reporting unethical behaviors.
Unethical behaviors should be clearly stated and people witnessing unethical behavior need to report it to supervisors right away so it can be dealt with accordingly and so it won’t get overwhelming for other employees. Unethical behavior can be costly to organizations with the diminished of public trust, tarnished organizational reputation, and lost profits. Punishment has shown to reduce unethical behavior. But punishment can also give implications beyond the punished individual. Supervisors should investigate these unethical behaviors. Studies have shown that punishment can influence productivity and attitudes.
Punishment may be important, or if not more important than the punished individual. For example an employee who is terminated, the employee who was terminated their reaction is probably less significant than those who remain employed. Expectations are considered a major determinant of behavior. When it comes to unethical behavior, there also comes liability. Supervisors and managers face the issue of liability because if an officer does wrong, it’s the supervisor’s responsibility to train officer’s right and make sure they are doing their job correctly.
The whole police department can be reliable for civil damages. The law enforcement agency can also face lawsuits or other forms of courts. There are many liabilities when it comes to law enforcement, because it is such a dangerous job, and you have to be trained absolutely correct so you don’t do anything wrong. For example an officer stopping suspects and finding drugs in the car and the officer just letting these people walk free. This would be considered unethical behavior and this is something the supervisor would need to know right away.
If this leaked out to the public the police department could get in huge trouble. When employees do unethical behavior this puts a burden on the police department itself and the supervisors. Supervisors are the ones that are suppose to watch over their staff and make sure they are doing their job correctly, when you have officers that are doing things out of context and not following rules, this makes supervisors look bad. This makes people wonder if the supervisor should even have that position because if he can’t keep his officers under control it shows he has no leadership skills or management skills.
This is why supervisors need to make sure all employees are doing their job correctly and they have a leadership over everyone. Ethics are something that is very important in the criminal justice profession because it can be looked at as a moral compass. It helps to decide what to do in critical moments. Ethics are important for those who are in positions of power, because people of power have the greatest influence on society. Critical decisions are made every day in the criminal justice field. These decisions made everyday have profound effect on everyone’s lives.
It is almost imperative that police officers do right and they are free of biases. It’s important that the criminal justice system study ethics because if mistakes are made it can become extremely costly. If police officers made one simple misjudgment it could mean losing your freedom. When unethical behavior is presented in the workplace it can put a Burdon on everyone who works in that department. That’s why it is so important that supervisors have written contacts that are signed by employees so rules and regulations are followed.
Supervisors have to make sure all are trained the same way and that no one makes any mistakes that can be costly or cause problems. If unethical behavior is noticed it should be reported right away so the problem can be taken care of. References The Social Implications of Punishing Unethical Behavior: Observers’ Cognitive and Affective Reactions. Linda Klebe Trevino. http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m4256/is_n4_v18/ai_13928528/ Unethical Behavior. It’s Impact on Today’s Workplace. http://www. anonymousemployee. com/csssite/sidelinks/unethical_behavior. php
