Are ethics voluntary? Ann Bares asks this question in her recent post - "Should ethics be an element in a company's reward program?"
Here's my point of view. Ethics are a requirement for employment. Ethics should not be part of a reward program but should be the minimum standards for continued employment. There are things that are not "rewardable" - ethics is one of them. Having ethics (and I don't believe in situational ethics) is required. Your ethics are not choices you make but something you have.
Rewards should be used to focus attention on those things that aren't "standard", help create new directions for a company or to get people to put in that little extra that makes a big difference. Providing rewards for ethics is well... unethical.
If someone is ethical because of a reward doesn't that by definition mean they are unethical and their ethics are subject to being "bought?" Isn't that the punch line to the old joke...
"Madam, we've established what you are, we're just discussing the price."
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