The Ethical Barometer

In tough economic times, employers keep a closer eye on expenses.  They watch that bottom line and they cut out office parties, employee discounts, and other perks.  In tough economic times, employees steal more from their employers.  They do so because they lost their parties, discounts, and perks.  Worse, it is the most trusted employees who bump up those travel expenses just a bit and pocket office supplies for use at home.  What does the pilferer look like?  According to a Price Waterhouse study:

Average length of employment:     7.5 years

Average age:                                           Between the ages of 31 and 40

Gender                                                       88% male

Education                                                 38% hold a college degree

                                                                      12% hold a postgraduate degree

Monitoring does not do the trick.  About 20% of companies are doing more audits of employee expenses and office supply inventory. Another 17% are adding security measures, including monitoring.  However, emphasizingthe code of conduct, integrity, and honesty do have a substantial impact.  We all need the reminders. And we seem to be deterred when we are given that nudge toward ethics.

On May 9, 2010, Yale psychologist Dr. Paul Bloom had an intriguing article in The New York Times Magazine, “The Moral Life of Babies.”  If this brief excerpt does not pique your curiosity or restore your faith in human nature, well, you may be unmovable.

Not long ago, a team of researchers watched a 1-year-old boy take justice into his own hands. The boy had just seen a puppet show in which one puppet played with a ball while interacting with two other puppets. The center puppet would slide the ball to the puppet on the right, who would pass it back. And the center puppet Continue reading →