Each entrepreneur is responsible for the carbon footprint produced by his company. This applies to the impact of your business on air quality, clean water, safety of endangered species, use and conservation of other natural resources, originality of protected nature reserves, etc. Fortunately, the government has passed legislation to resolve most environmental ethical dilemmas in business. These laws include the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Resource Conservation and Restoration Act, and more. At some point, all entrepreneurs face unexpected ethical dilemmas in business. By implementing well-researched corporate policies and preparations, you can easily avoid problems. Remember that strategic and active correction of such behavior is the key to long-term change. As stated in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, employees have the right to safe working conditions. According to their 2018 study, 5,250 workers in the U.S. died from workplace accidents or illnesses. On average, that`s more than 100 per week, or more than 14 deaths per day.
The 10 most frequently cited violations in 2018 were: Corporate environmental responsibility appears to target large oil companies, forestry companies, agriculture and other businesses that have a more direct impact on the environment. But this is not the case! Even if your business operates entirely within the confines of an office building, environmental responsibility is still on the list of ethical issues in business that you should pay attention to. 40% of employees believe their company has a weak ethical culture and little effort has been made to mitigate fault, according to the 2018 Global Business Ethics Survey? Kenneth Oster`s leadership experience includes a career in the Air Force, pastoral leadership and corporate ownership in the auto repair industry. He holds an MBA from Western Governors University and is pursuing a DBA from Northcentral University. Oster is the author of “The Complete Guide to Conservation Meat, Fish and Game: Step-by-Step Instructions to Freezing, Canning, Curing and Smoking.” We`ve compiled a list of topical ethical issues you may face in business. Understanding how to identify and, most importantly, prevent these problems before they become a problem can help you focus on growing the business rather than solving them. One of the most important examples of ethical dilemmas is that lack of diversity and equal treatment is illegal in most countries. Nevertheless, the racial and gender pay gap suggests that these laws are often overlooked. Another type of growing discrimination involves informal caregivers who have to care for family members. One of the biggest challenges for any entrepreneur is solving ethical problems in business.
While some ethical issues in business are covered by law, the requirements for others are more vague. In these cases, it is incumbent on business owners and managers to hold employees accountable for unethical actions and, of course, to behave ethically. If you are an entrepreneur, the first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the most common ethical issues of business in 2021. These include; Lack of diversity and discrimination, harassment, favouritism or nepotism, health and safety, environmental responsibility, privacy, social media and accounting espionage. Learning about ethical issues in business and how to avoid them is just the beginning. Take your strategy to the next level by looking at these ethical business practices you should follow. A common way for companies to deal with ethical issues is simply to deny the problem. Companies often combine this with a gag order to prevent employees from speaking. If you want to keep a good reputation, this is the worst thing you can do. After all, sooner or later, unethical behavior will come to light. Discrimination laws and other laws exist to hold workers and employers accountable, but they cannot completely deter employees or employers from acting unethically. Preventive measures may also include prohibiting drug abuse, limiting alcohol in the workplace, and consistently enforcing compliance.
But unfortunately, if you let people circumvent the rules around your business ethics, it can become a regular practice. For this reason, supervisors and managers are often the sources of harassment. Aside from paying close attention to the people you bring into your company, there`s not much you can do to eliminate the negative opinions that some employees may have when hiring a family member or close friend. Even if you are a family business, you need to pay close attention to the employee/friend/family ratio. After all, as the old saying goes, “You can`t be a boss and a friend.” A recent study found that 78.2% of small businesses have not designed or implemented an environmental management system.