Is it a good idea to reward employees for being ethical?

Is it a good idea to reward employees for being ethical?

 

Yes, employers should reward employees for conducting ethically.By rewarding employees, it reinforces an organization’s ethical values, such as honesty, integrity, respect e.t.c (Jones & John,2020). Examples of rewards that employers can issue to employees with ethical behaviors include a free tour, front-parking space, work autonomy, and monetary gifts. As a result, an organization’s employer branding will increase greatly as business stakeholders support ethical behaviors. Employees are best influenced to adopt ethical practices by rewarding them with monetary incentives.

 

What are the drawbacks to rewarding ethics, have you seen any of these in action?

 

1. Lack of Long-Term Benefit

Lack of long-term outcomes is the main drawback of rewarding ethical employees. Ethics rewards, such as cash bonuses, serves as temporally monetary incentives for employees with admirable morals. Thus, the essence of ethics rewards continues to fade with time as the employees’ marginal utility for these rewards declines. Consequently, employees may ignore these rewards and proceed to observe unethical behaviors.

 

1. Motivation Issues

 

Motivation issues may arise from ethics rewards. For example, if a certain group of employees fails to receive ethics rewards, they end up being demotivated. Additionally, the victim employees’ work morale and satisfaction may decline. As a result, an organization may suffer adversely in the attainment of desired objectives due to opportunity costs after these employees’ work performance declines. Therefore, organizations should adopt effective methods to promote ethical practices among the employees besides ethnics rewards.

 

How could a company maintain a strong ethical culture without incentivizing ethics? Remember the idiom, “You get what you pay for”.

 

1. Availing resources or programs that promote ethics

Designing programs that reinforce ethics is an effective way of promoting desirable behaviors in the workplace. Training and development programs are examples of programs that can reinforce ethics (Chron, 2020). Other alternatives programs for ethics purposes include goals and objectives. As a result, the employees are introduced to these programs upon the end of recruitment programs. Additionally, objectives and goals that promote ethics forms an admirable organization culture that results in long-run benefit.

 

1. Leading by example

Leading by example is also an efficient way to promote ethical behaviors. Thus, managers should act as a front line to lead employees in acting ethically (Chron, 2020). For example, managers should shares duties among the employees equally. Additionally, managers should ensure transparency during the recruitment and hiring process. As a result, the employees together with key internal stakeholders, such as shareholders will emirate managers in safeguarding ethical values. To lead by example, organizations are leveraging a code of conduct to promote ethical behaviors.

 

References

Chron (2020). Disadvantages of Rewarding Employees With Gifts. Retrieved 4 September 2020, from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/disadvantages-rewarding-employees-gifts-24166.html

Jones & John J. (2020). Reward Ethical Conduct | Ethical Advocate. Retrieved 4 September 2020, from https://www.ethicaladvocate.com/reward-ethical-conduct/