OFFICE WORK ETHICS, BEHAVIOUR AND DISCIPLINE
Dr. Gambari, A. I.E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.gambariisiaka.comBlogsite: www.drgambari.com
Paper presented at a Workshop on Interpersonal Relationships & Communication
Skills @ Federal Ministry of Finance,
8th – 12th October, 2012
OFFICE WORK ETHICS, BEHAVIOUR AND DISCIPLINE
Preamble
It is no secret that public services are threatened by moral credibility problems. In the public service, the following unethical behaviour are predominant:
files will not move unless one leaves his office to follow-up.
If you did not drop, your check will not be released
Some get drunk before getting to the office
Some will not get to the office until it is 10.00am, etc
Cont… The operators of these vices, make sure the system stays inefficient so that they can continue to collect toll.
The problem hinges on professional ethics, interpersonal relationship and attitudinal change.
Quality service is what the general public expect from us.
Cont… Gone are the days: Some of us old enough can remember service
delivery when you could post a letter and it would get to it destination and you will get a reply quickly.
Few can still remember the days when public servant will great one with “Can I help you Sir” and they meant it.
Public servant worked as a team and exhibited good work ethics in service delivery.
So how did our service delivery degenerate into the present circumstance, when public servants, if they serve at all, do so as a favour or at a price.
Cont… How and when did the so called ‘Nigerian way of doing things’ become the norm?
There are quite a number of public servant only waiting for the end of the month to collect salary,
Where do we go from here? Today, we are here to begin the process of change - change for the best.
A good place to start is 'attitudinal change' towards ethical standards and collaboration (teamwork)
What is Ethics?• Understanding of right and wrong
• Ability to distinguish between the right and the wrong.
• Means the rules and principles regulating the behaviour of individuals.
Types of Ethics Descriptive ethics means the description of ethical
ideas without presenting an opinion on their rightness. An example of this is the statement that in the opinion of civil servants it is wrong to take a bribe.
Normative ethics, or morals, presents guidelines and rules, which requires commitment to a certain ethical system. An example of this is the statement taking a bribe is wrong because it weakens the confidence of citizens in the impartiality of administration.
Metaethics, the main branches of modern moral philosophy are consquentialism, which emphasizes values, and deontology, which emphasises rights and obligations.
Office Work Ethics are implemented to-
• Define the framework of the acceptable behavior.
• Follow high standards of practice. • Create benchmarks for self evaluation. • Enhance sense of community. • Create transparency in the public service activities.
• Foster higher standards of office ethics.
• Comply with government laws and norms.
Who is responsible for ethics in the Public
Service?
“Everyone”
Code of Ethics, Conduct and Work Ethics1. Code of ethics specifies the standard of behaviour.
2. It sets down the concept of proper and improper types of conduct in a work place.
3. Sets of values based on moral virtues of hard work and diligence
4. Help to identify which member may be at risk of professional misconduct and discipline,
5. Regulatory measures for upholding standards
Examples of the set valuesExamples of work ethics include:(a) No lateness to work(b) No closing before time(c) No loitering along the corridors(d) Always appear neat and be polite(e) Deal with your colleagues and the public with respect(f) Be guided by the concept of prompt and quality
service delivery(g) No officer should leave file unattended for more than
48 hours(h) Response to requests /applications must be processed
within five (5) working days.(i) Keep offices and equipment clean(j) Ensure proper maintenance of office equipment(l) Switch off lights after working hours
Harmful Unethical Administrative Practices
1. favouring friends 2. use of excessively difficult official
language 3.accepting economic benefits (bribery) 4. political discrimination 5. influencing the handling of a matter
despite one’s disqualification6.gender discrimination 7. decision-making without proper preparation 8. withholding information 9. unnecessary delaying of a matter10. identification with an interest group11. reluctance for changes
Cont…12. sexual harassment at the work place 13. withdrawing from one’s responsibility when
errors occur14. placing one’s interest above the
organization overall interest15. scheming of job packages and trading in
the offices 16. refraining from giving proper information
on issues 17. unnecessary complicating/handling of
matters 18. harassment at work 19. Accomplice (protection of bad workers)
Figure 1: The most harmful unethical administrative practices (%)
Corruption
corruption is “efforts to secure wealth or power through illegal means ; private gain at public expense; or a misuse of public power for private benefit (Lipset & Lenz, 2000). This definition includes such behaviour as:
(i) Bribery (use of a reward to pervert the judgment of a person in a position of trust);
(ii) Nepotism (bestowal of patronage by reason of ascriptive relationship rather than merit); and
(iii) Misappropriation (illegal appropriation of public resources for private uses (Banfield 1961).
Cont… Corruption is one of the major problems in Nigeria. The menace of corruption leads to:
(i) Slow movement of files in offices, (ii) Police extortion tollgates and slow traffics on the highways,
(iii) Port congestion, (iv) Queues at passport offices and gas stations,
(v) Ghost workers syndrome, (vi) Election irregularities, among others.
Causes of Corruption The causes of corruption in Nigeria are multi-dimensional and may not deviate considerably from the following:
(a) Great inequality in distribution of wealth;
(b) Political office as the primary means of gaining access to wealth;
(c) Conflict between changing moral codes(d) The weakness of social and governmental enforcement mechanisms; and
(e) The absence of a strong sense of national community (Bryce, 1921).
Cont…(f) Obsession with materialism, (g) Compulsion for a shortcut to affluence,
(h) Glorification and approbation of ill-gotten wealth by the general public, (Ndiulor, 1999).
(i) Failure to pay wages and salaries to public servants when due and yet expect them to pay their transportation cost to work, pay their kid’s tuition fees, etc.
Source: Victor E. Dike, http://www.africaeconomicanalysis.org
Sources of Authority to the Public Servant The sources of authority available to the
public servant are identified as follows:(i) Constitution of the Federal Republic(ii) Acts of the National Assembly(iii) Government Procurements and Publication(iv) Public Service Rules(v) Financial Regulations(vi) Government Notices in Gazettes(vii) Circular, Letters from Ministries and
departments(viii) Official Notices and Instructions in
Ministries or Division within Ministries/ Departments
Govt. Efforts for Promoting Ethical Conduct in the Public Service(i) creation and strengthening of anti- corruption agencies for strict enforcement
of anti-corruption laws;(ii) creation of more institutional platforms for enforcing standards
(iii) initiating reforms to combat corruption and promote transparency and accountability;
(iv) balancing the powers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the Federal Civil Service Commission in the area of discipline;
Cont…(v) empowerment of the top hierarchy of the service to set the moral tone in ethical conduct;
(vi) creation of African Peer Review Mechanism Desks in MDAs.
(vii) Establishment of SERVICOM, SERVICOM is an acronym for ‘Service Compact with all Nigerians’ SERVICOM seeks to incorporate quality into government services.
Work Attitude and Behaviour of Nigerian Civil Servants
Reward or punishment to ethical integrity and moral courage
decide the act of an individual
Office Ethics Through Behaviour
Courage as opposed to fear – it is with courage that the rule of law can be upheld and not to look over your shoulders to see the faces of those involved.
Discharge responsibilities with conscience and dignity
Avoid undue favour: The temptation to show favour misdirects the mind to what is not suppose to be done.
Show Good Example: You must watch your conduct & always trend the path of honour.
Cont… Do not Allow: considerations of religion, nationality, race. Ethnicity and social standing to affect work.
Moral decision: At all times, take moral decisions. Always uphold what is generally known to be morally right and reject what is generally known to be morally wrong.
Don’t rundown your colleagues: It is Unethical to rundown a colleague to achieve recognition, prominence or favour. Let your ingenuity, competence, skill and capacity at work speak for you.
Cont… Steadfast: Uphold the sanctity of trust and accountability. To achieve this, aggressive mechanisms to curb violation such as integrity and loyalty should be imbibed.
Always honour Authority: We all need to abide by the legitimate laws, rules, and boundaries established by legitimate Act".
Strive to attract people what you do: This is possible through practical demonstration of efficiency, responsiveness and courtesy.
Cont… Keep promises: Making and keeping promises enhance integrity.
Respect for each other: As you want to be treated with respect, also treat others with respect.
Learn to forgive each other: No individual is perfect, we should therefore be willing to always extend to others the spirit of forgiveness and genuinely seek forgiveness to reconcile and restore relationship with others.
Cont… Avoid oppression: Imbibe, cultivate and sustain the attitude of "live and let live", so do not use your vantage position to oppress those below.
Seek counsel: All should seek and imbibe the habit of seeking counsel wherever you are confronted with questions/issues whose solutions are not very clear.
Do not settle for "good enough" in anything you do: In showing diligence, if you have a job, make it bigger than you met it "Good enough" is the enemy of excellence" because it will make you to relax when you should strive harder.
Cont… Do not throw away your values just because somebody stands temporarily on your way.
Share and promote team spirit: Share and promote team spirit that would produce positive results for the good of the system.
The job is not done until you are sure it cannot be done better: So set for yourself, rules and do things different using creative imagination to achieve service delivery.
Do not work in opposite directions: In other words do not approbate and reprobate at the same time in any life endeavour. It stagnates work and work against service delivery.
Office Ethics Through Self-discipline A self-disciplined life makes the job of good workplace ethics more attainable. To help you build self-discipline in the workplace, consider the following ten tips:
1. Just do it. Consciously decide that you really want to be someone who practices self-discipline in your attitude and ethics.
2. Learn the rules. Clarify what you will and will not do. Educate yourself so you won't make ignorant mistakes. Rules, policies, regulations, and standard operating procedures can be overwhelming.
Cont… Be accountable. Accept responsibility for your behavior. Don't blame others for your unfortunate actions and decisions.
Practice self-discipline is something you can teach yourself. No matter how carefully you plan to live an honest, disciplined life, you won't get out of the starting gate without actually doing something. Self-discipline is not a spectator sport. It requires numerous cycles of practice, failure, and success. Look at the personal obstacles you have overcome in the past and realize that doing the right thing requires you to step-out and stand-up.
Cont…5. Eliminate harmful habits. If you use company equipment, supplies, or facilities for personal use, stop it! If you interpret company policies to meet your needs, don't do it anymore. We all have bad experience, whatever they may be, put an end to the harmful habits immediately.
6. Set and complete goals. There is nothing more satisfying and rewarding than achieving a hard-earned goal. Ethical goals can be, "When I feel tempted to stretch the truth, I will be factual." "When this person puts me in an ethically uncomfortable position, I will stand-up for the truth." The act itself of completing a goal empowers you and gives you courage to do it again and again.
Cont…7. Do what you say you will do. Finish what you start. Stay on task. There may be no greater measure of your character than the evidence that you are (or are not) a man or woman of your word. Dependability is an invaluable asset in the workplace. It shows ethical honesty.
8. Ignore peer pressure. It is not easy to be ethical without the negative influence of others. You can't escape ethical conflicts with your peers at work. You must learn to stick to your principles and take the knocks that come with it.
Cont…9. Do activities that enhance your self-discipline like exercising, sports, or practicing a musical instrument. The fact is, attaining self-discipline in one area of life will translate to other areas of life as well.
10. Don't give up. Moral and ethical values are not skin deep. You simply can't walk away from them when times get tough. Many things in life are negotiable, but your principles are not.
NB: The personal rewards of building strong ethical character are well worth the journey. The benefits go far beyond your business at work and will transcend to all areas of life.
How to maximize the ethical assets?• Recognizing the company’s need to manage corporate ethics
• The dangers of taking it for granted.
• Supporting management to prevent or protect against unethical activities
• Developing strategies to raise the ethical standard in the organization.
• Build trust as a competitive lead.
Approaches to Bring a Code of Office Work Ethics to Life
• Emphasize values, in creating the code of corporate ethics supported by rules.
• Employees should be Educated about the corporate ethics code to make it relevant and real.
• Reinforce the code within and beyond the organization.
• Encourage employees to become active participants in upholding the corporate. ethics code and its values.
• Gather feedback, measure effectiveness and continually improve the code of conduct.
Office Work Ethics: Individual’s Perspective
• Signs of ethical deterioration.• In business, people have made
immoral millions • In government, public officials
are involved in bribery & corruption.
• In education, cheating scandals among students are common.
• under-the-table payments for admission
• People believe that they have to cheat to win.
• They believe that nice guys finish last.
Which Way Forward
?
Strategies for Promoting Ethical Standard in Public Service (Way Forward)
The fear of God is very important and necessary for those who want to succeed in any aspect of life. If you are in difficulty over a particular aspect of life, and you fail to seek Godly counsel related to it you may not avert failure. Fear of God instils discipline, desirable attitude and good moral values. This goes for every stakeholders (staff & management).
Every staff should be enrolled/registered in his professional association.
Staff should stick to the rules which guide their profession and avoid unprofessional and unethical behaviour.
Cont… Professional development should be in a manner not detrimental to the systems.
Boss - subordinate relationship should not be personalized. Boss should play the role of leader and be models to subordinates.
Staff should support the leadership through efficient service delivery, and participate in professional development programmes and other technology activities to improve self.
Those that have benefited from one training or the other should impact positively on the system.
Cont… All must challenge bad service anywhere and anytime.
Everyone must shun activities that will disrupt the peace of the system.
It is advisable to increase investment in the area of training of employees, as training is viewed as "an appreciating asset". Employees will work hard if the organisation invests in them.
Every member of staff should be e-compliant.
Staff should be equipped with relevant tools and equipment.
Cont… Award system should be encouraged at all levels to galvanize staff members to hardwork.
In order to screen for integrity, ethics should be included as a criterion in recruitment examination/interviews. Counsellors should be involved in such exercise with a view to using their professional competence to detect/assess behavioural patterns of applicants that may be inimical to the system, so that competent staff with the right attitude and work ethics are employed.
Cont… Also, staff should be prepared to assess their own performance and degree of accomplishment, as a demonstration of professionalism. This will require performance measure and evaluation in form of questionnaire. A number of measures such as input, activity levels, output, outcome, productivity, stakeholder satisfaction, service quality, professionalism, etc can be employed depending on the purpose of the evaluation.
Cont… For administrators, these can be given to customers (staff, visitors, etc) to fill. For staff, the stakeholders can assess them; and the information usually for their personal consumption will help them to improve.
One of the fundamental steps for solution towards service failure is the knowledge of what it takes to be an administrator. A hand bill on the qualities of an administrator put together to enlightened those in position of authority about what it takes to be an administrator should be widely circulated along with Work Ethics and SERVlCOM Dream to achieve service delivery and promote ethical values.
Cont… Departments and Units should have a retreat and come up with a resolution whereby all will agree to work tirelessly to move the system to greater height.
Staff members should know their rights and limits to enable them act accordingly.
All basic policies, procedures and practices relating to employment should be made clear to everyone in the system.
The conditions of service should be made available to every staff.
Those in position of authority should have closer supervision of subordinate staff and demonstrate good example.
Cont… Those in leadership position should join hands to form a more formidable team to accomplish the mission for which the foundation of the civil service is predicated on.
There are staff who are not satisfied with the system and services, though they work, they do not put in their best and the cumulative effect will adversely affect their Productivity/performance and the system in general. There should be a mechanism put in place for staff to voice their grievances and be listened to.
Cont… Employee should develop positive attitude to work. Every organization can grow to great heights, if the workers have the right attitude.
If any organisation is to succeed, therefore, there is need to reposition its service delivery to enhance ethical standards. This will enable it to compete globally.
Civil service in Nigeria, especially FMF should let us collectively resolve as "FMF work family" or "FMF family team' to have a positive change of attitude to work together, applying practices to move FMF to world class/standard, as if our lives depend on it.
Conclusion If I may borrow the words of Senator Ken Nnarnani, the former Senate President of Nigeria, he said: "if today, the rest of developed world is racing uphill to capture the next surreal world of multiple digital processing, and we are running at breath-taking speed downhill to the throes of persistent incompetence and service failure, then we are endangered species, unless we can unleash blistering speed and run as if our lives depend on the race to the top“.
• Institute of Business Ethics: www.ibe.org• Business in the Community: www.bitc.ie• ACCA (includes Ireland news): WWW. ACCAGLOBAL.COM• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales:
www.iceaw.com/bettermarkets • Hermes Pension Management Ltd: www.hermes.com • Dow Jones Sustainability Index: www.sustainability-indexes.com• FTSE4 GOOD Index: www.ftse4good.com• Ethical Research Services: www.eiris.org• Ethics Resource Centre: www.ethics.org• Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/business_ethics• Spitzer Centre for Ethical Leadership: www. spitzercentre.org
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