Integrity at Work

For years, the traditional way to fight theft was to have an atmosphere in which any transgressions were severely punished, usually by immediate termination. This came about as companies expected that employees would seek to gain the maximum that they could from the organization, both in lawful and unlawful manners, and is often found in organizations that are characterized by a Theory X approach to management (Badaracco & Ellsworth, 1992, p. 31).

In these environments, companies foster an "us vs. them" syndrome among employees and management, with the result that employees justify stealing with the attitude that they "deserve" the extra items, and management expects that all employees are going to steal, given the opportunity. It should be noted that in many cases, the most common items stolen are office supplies, such as pens and paper, although there are instances where employees have stolen much more costly items.

Instead of focusing on a punitive atmosphere, companies are better off if they can build an atmosphere that focuses not just on integrity, but on the overall relationship of the emplo

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er, the concept of integrity at work extends to more than just outright theft. Integrity also involves how employees treat one another and their customers, vendors and other stakeholders. Integrity among employees relates to whether there is competition among employees that is destructive because one employee wants to be promoted over the others, or whether there is a team atmosphere that is productive as employees seek to work together and do not worry about individual glory (Sonnenberg & Goldberg, 1992, p. 54). Integrity also extends to the way in which employees develop relationships with customers and vendors. Ideally, vendors are selected on their ability to meet delivery and cost commitments, and on the basis of their product's quality. However, if an employee lacks integrity, he could go to a vendor which has substandard quality but which offers him discounts (or cash) to give them the business. Or, the contract might go to a company owned by a family member or friend. With regard to customers, integrity involves what the employee promises on behalf of the company, and whether or not the company can deliver it. Integrity means that an employee does not lie about the features or performance of a particular product, a
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Approximate Word count = 1319
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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