Workplace Ethics [Episode 4] Dr. Christopher Bauer on Training Employees to Make Ethical Decisions
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
When I talk about an organization’s mission, vision, and values (MVV), one of the things that I like to suggest is that the company’s stated MVV should be realistic. What I mean by that is sometimes organizations create jazzy sounding mission statements or edgy values to stand out in the crowd. It doesn’t take long for candidates, employees, and customers to figure out if an organization actually follows them.
Well, maybe it’s time to add ethics statements to the list. Because if the company’s ethics statement doesn’t realistically reflect the workforce, then the organization can be faced with a disconnect. This disconnect between what’s written and practiced doesn’t help employees make ethical decisions. And that might end up costing the company money (and talent).
It also has an impact on ethics training. In this episode of The HR Bartender Show I spoke with Dr. Christopher Bauer. He’s a clinical psychologist by training however for over thirty years he has worked as a speaker, educator, author, and consultant on professional ethics. His clients have run the gamut from small and medium sized organizations to every level of staff and management at Fortune 500 corporations.
His articles on how to build and maintain great ethics in the workplace have appeared in journals such as CEO Refresher, CFO Magazine, Financial Executive, Internal Auditor, and many other print and online publications for a wide range of professions. In addition, his keynotes and seminars have made the topic of ethics in the workplace not only fun but, more importantly, both practical and profitable for organizations around the globe.
One of the comments that Dr. Bauer made during our conversation is that “people do what’s reinforced”. Well, if the only thing that organizations do where ethics is concerned is have employees sign off on an ethics statement, that doesn’t really create the level of reinforcement necessary to maintain an ethical culture. Organizations should think about a more holistic approach to ethics – during interviews, onboarding, training, refreshers, and throughout the employee life cycle.
If you want to connect with Dr. Bauer:
Website https://www.christopherbauer.com
LinkedIn https://forms.aweber.com/form/22/1373469922.htm
Twitter https://twitter.com/ethicstweet
I mentioned during the show that Dr. Bauer publishes a free “Weekly Ethics Thought” seen by thousands of readers worldwide. And Dr. Bauer mentioned a report from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners that mentions the cost of occupational fraud being in the range of 5-7% of the bottom-line. Lastly, here’s an article from our friends at Foley & Lardner LLP on the costs associated with employee lawsuits. The article is a few years old, but it offers some perspective – legal defense fees are not cheap. This doesn’t include the cost of replacing and onboarding the employee.
Season 3 Episode 4 – Dr. Christopher Bauer Show Notes
Season 3 Episode 4 Dr. Christopher Bauer Transcript
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