Ethics may be defined as an inquiry into the nature and grounds of morality, where morality is taken to mean moral judgements, standards, and rules of conduct.
Morality refers to the values that are subscribed to and fostered by society in general and individuals within society.
A person’s behavior can be well within the scope of the law and still be unethical.
No person will serve long as a health and safety professional without confronting an ethical dilemma.
Three personality characteristics that can influence an employee’s ethical behavior are ego strength, Machiavellianism, and locus of control.
Ego strength is the ability to undertake self-directed tasks and to cope with tense situations.
Companies have no role to play in promoting ethical behavior among their employees.
Companies that take the “Do as I say, not as I do” approach to ethics will succeed.
Locus of control is the extent to which he or she will attempt to deceive and confuse others.
Machiavellianism is the perspective of workers concerning who or what controls their behavior.