A recent US survey supports the view that unhappy employees are more likely to act unethically. The 2007 Deloitte & Touche USA LLP Ethics and Workplace survey found a strong relationship between work-life balance and ethical behaviour at work. Some 60pc of employed adults surveyed think job dissatisfaction is a leading reason why people make unethical decisions at work, and more than half (55pc) ranked a flexible work schedule among the top three factors leading to job satisfaction. Some 91pc agreed employees are more likely to behave ethically when they have a good work-life balance.
The survey showed up some other interesting results. Stealing petty cash, cheating on expense accounts, taking credit for somebody else's work and lying on time sheets about hours worked topped the list of unethical activities, with over 90pc of those polled viewing these as inappropriate.
However, 66pc of respondents felt taking a sick day when not actually ill was acceptable on some level, with 72pc believing using company technology for personal use was also acceptable to a certain extent.
The survey findings posit that leadership is the driving force behind company-wide adoption of ethical practices. Some 42pc of respondents cited behaviour of management as a top factor in promoting an ethical environment, with 36pc citing behaviour of direct supervisors and 30pc citing positive reinforcement of ethical behaviour as top factors.
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Almost 70pc of employees have taken company information from their workplace, with the most pilfered being email address books, customer databases and proposals and presentations, according to recent UK research. The majority used office email to get the stolen information off company premises.
Most of those taking important information said they did so when they were leaving a firm to take up a new job. Some 72pc had no ethical problems taking the information to help them in a new post. Over 80pc said they felt their input in compiling the information justified their taking it.
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