Why Ethics Training is Needed

[fauxklore]

In response to my post on my company's ethics training, a few people comments suggested that they see little value in attempting this.

I wanted to mention that I do think there is a reason to do ethics training. There was a story in the Post this week about a senior executive at a major defense contractor in the area sending out emails to people within the company urging them to support a particular candidate for Congress in next week's local primaries. What I found disappointing is that the article focused on whether or not that executive was technically running afoul of certain electoral laws.

My bigger concern, personally, is that it's rather coercive for company management to try telling employees who they should vote for. Even though they don't have a way of knowing the outcome, this can create an uncomfortable working environment for those whose politics are not in line with those of their senior managers.

Comments

[kaasirpent]

And to this I would respond that no amount of "ethics training" will work for someone who doesn't get it to the point where doing that seems like a GOOD idea. At best, he can be taught a rigid set of "if this situation, then this response" rules. He'll never truly understand.

I had a boss I refer to as Evil Phil. We all went to what amounted to "diversity training" (although they didn't call it that at the time). His comment was that it was worthless and that either you just got it or you never would. Not a week later, he said to one of my black coworkers, "I don't care; next time Joan asks you for something, you say, 'Yassa, Massa,' and you do it."

I think no truer words ever came out of his mouth than the "you either just get it or you never will" part.

No, he was not fired. But he did lose the employee shortly thereafter. And he never saw it coming.