Double Standard of Workplace Ethics

My job stinks, and generally I think about things at work to pass the time, many of them pertaining to the nature of the workplace, work itself, and the cumulative effect thereof and how they impact society, the family, etc. Today I got to thinking about how ethics are applied differently to different individuals, depending on what level of the work place hierarchy they exist on.

There are many ways that managers, CEOs, executives, and others skirt around labor law and commonly held principles about what is ethical or just, in order to achieve the bottom line of profit. Is this not unethical or immoral? I think it is, but rarely does the general public think about this double standard. We're held to a very tight moral compass which may range from dress restrictions ( conservative clothing only, no visible tattoos, no piercings) to having our personal lives used against us which may result in the loss of employment or general workplace condemnation resulting in ostricization or other unfriendly actions.

I simply don't understand why our employers can nickle and dime us, rob us of sick, overtime, or holiday pay, but it's wrong if a person has a moment of weakness and has a DWI, or if they show a tattoo, or they engage in other unethical behavior. Standards need to be applied more universally with fewer exceptions. Am I condoning unethical behavior? Certainly not, although I do believe in second chances, everybody makes mistakes in times of weakness, so I do accept the notion of one second chance. However, whoever is cooking the books, top or bottom of the ladder, all need to be held to the same level of moral demand.

Furthermore, is it not unethical or a detriment to society that Americans are working more and more at the expense of family and personal relationships? Ethics extends beyond the law, beyond institutions and government. Is it lawful to make a person work? Certainly. But, is it ethical and moral to make them work to the brink of insanity? Individual psychological well being, as well as fulfilling relationships suffer at the expense of the greater demand that is being placed on the American worker. And that is just it, we're viewed as little worker bees, not as human beings who have needs beyond the workplace. Until this notion is challenged however, we will not make any headway on these issues. It's not a privilege to be able to spend time with your kids, or wife, or close friends, or whoever makes you're life fulfilling, it is a right. The reduction of humanity in this country is astounding. Bottom line, as is exemplified by the double ethical standard, employer needs trump those of the employed, because among other reasons, the number employed or in need of employment will always outnumber the employers. Thus, we are more expendable.

With this being said, I refuse to remain quiet when this double standard is applied to myself, or to those that I care about. Power is not something that should be demanded, it should be commanded and it should be legitimate. This means that "power", and i use the term loosely, should be conferred upon the holder by those being lead with the realization that it can be revoked. In the workplace this is relevant because power is often abused to hold the worker hostage in a precarious state of fear, and uncertainty over when their boss is going to strike them next. This is unfair, and the anxiety that results from this authoritarian structure in most workplaces is extremely alarming.

In conclusion, ethics do not need to be abolished, they simply nee to be applied universally and equally. And the bottom line should not always take precedence over family, community, and friendship. But, I guess it's hard when as an employer that fat bonus at the end of the year depends upon it.