BUSINESS: Creating an Open and Non-Retaliatory Workplace (IBEI)

 

The International Business Ethics Institute has conducted a recent project that pursues their non-profit mission of promoting the business ethic of global corporate social responsibility. This time, the focus of IBEI is to increase public awareness and dialogue through a scholarly study involving the issue of creating an open and non-retaliatory workplace.

 

Definition and Purpose of the Project

 

IBEI's project is called "Creating an Open and Non-Retaliatory Workplace." The study aims to examine the incidence of one of the most little-considered component of business ethics programs, and revolves around answering the questions as to how organizations can create an open environment encouraging the reporting of misconduct and how these organizations can reduce retaliation ("Creating an Open and Non-Retaliatory Workplace," 2006, para.2).

 

The IBEI team, with the help of EOA (Ethics Officer Association), looks into producing some recommendations to help support a change in the atmosphere of most corporate settings that are unacquainted with pursuing a commitment of each of its employees to truthful reporting of misconducts at the same time dissuading occurrence of retaliation.

 

The purpose of the business project is to educate and inform both employees and directors of their role in keeping a morally correct yet comfortable work setting. First is to design ways by which employees would feel safer and encouraged to report other employees' misconduct. Second is to come up with effective organizational strategies to help superiors detect and prevent both formal and informal retaliation against the reporter of the misdeed. Ultimately, the objective is to help corporations foster an open work environment and promote a company's ethical business standards.

 

The Business Problem Under Investigation

 

Emily Heard and William Miller (2006) of the IBEI observes one of the major problems of a supposedly professionally and ethically secured workplace:

 

One of the major challenges in business ethics today is creating a safe environment where employees can raise concerns about possible misconduct and wrongdoing. Despite the proliferation of help-lines and ethics offices, creating a safe environment where employees can raise concerns about possible misconduct without experiencing retaliation is still one of the least well developed elements of most business ethics programs. ("Creating an Open and Non-Retaliatory Workplace," para.1).

 

In "Fear of retaliation" ("Creating a Non-Retaliatory Workplace Survey Results," 2005, para.1) - Heard and Miller (2006) further adds that this problem becomes indispensable despite the existing standards adopted by corporations:

 

More and more companies are adopting formal standards on reporting misconduct and non-retaliation. However, an examination of code documents from 100 multinational companies by the International Business Ethics Institute revealed these standards to be often ineffective, containing language that is counterproductive to an environment of open communication ("Effective Code Standards on Raising Concerns and Retaliation," para.1).

 

Parties Involved in the Research

 

Mainly four parties are involved or affected in the conducting of the research. First is the voluntary outside support of the IBEI (with EOA), and then the study's participants. The participants are of three groups - the organization directors, the misconduct-reporting employees, and the retaliating reported individual(s). In most cases, those who are reported for office offense are of higher positions, which is why out of fear of retaliation, "employees, despite overwhelming corporate activity to convince them otherwise, are still reluctant about [exposing] misconduct" to the higher superiors ("International Business Ethics Review - Current Issue," 2006, para.1).

 

The Study's Interpretation / Conclusion / Recommendation

 

To resolve the issue or at least to reduce the incidence in most corporate companies, IBEI's educational and professional director with their consultants, proposed a more effective code standard that ought to be known to all employees from all levels. IBEI has also outlined seven keys to encourage a more open and non- (or at least less) retaliating workplace - Key 1: Foster an Organizational Culture that Values Open, Two-way Communications, Key 2: Create Effective Communication Channels, Key 3: Develop Effective Code Standards on Raising Concerns and on Deterring Retaliatory Behavior, Key 4: Implement Dedicated Training for All Employees on Raising Concerns and Retaliation, Key 5: Implement Dedicated Training for Managers on Creating an Open Environment and Addressing Concerns, Key 6: Implement and Maintain Problem-Focused Processes for Investigating and Resolving Concerns, and Key 7: Establish an Effective Ongoing Communication Strategy ("Heard and Miller," 2006).

 

The Methods Used to Conduct the Research Project

 

To achieve the project's purpose, IBEI conducted interviews of people who have at one time reported an incidence, interviews that look at the current practices of organizations handling misconduct reports, literature reviews, and finally an employee and organizational survey as supporting data. (These methods require only a less expensive resource as IBEI is working as a non-profit group who voluntarily formed the project.)

 

The survey methods most especially were valuable in creating a general consciousness on supervisory consideration, instruction/guidance, streamline communication, concern for employees, personnel policies, promotion of teamwork and participation, and overall workplace productivity/efficiency. Involvement of the whole organization especially managers and supervisors also contribute to creating long-term trends in attitudes and providing input for future decisions on the subject of creating an open and non-retaliatory workplace.

~Ae Dechavez

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Bibliography

Current Research Projects of the International Business Ethics Institute (2006). International Business Ethics Institute. Retrieved February 3, 2007 from http://business-ethics.org/iberpubcurrent.asp

International Business Ethics Review - Current Issue (2006). International Business Ethics Institute. International Business Ethics Review, Vol.9, Issue 1. Retrieved February 3, 2007 from http://business-ethics.org/iberpubcurrent.asp

Heard, Emily and Miller, William (2006). Creating an Open and Non-Retaliatory Workplace. International Business Ethics Institute. International Business Ethics Review, Vol.9, Issue 1. Retrieved February 3, 2007 from business-ethics.org

Heard, Emily and Miller, William (2006). Effective Code Standards on Raising Concerns and Retaliation. International Business Ethics Institute. International Business Ethics Review, Vol.9, Issue 1. Retrieved February 3, 2007 from business-ethics.org

Creating a Non-Retaliatory Workplace Survey Results (2005). International Business Ethics Institute and Ethics Officer Association. Retrieved February 3, 2007 from http://business-ethics.org/documents/EOA-IBEISurveySummary9.2005.pdf