Media Room

Operating an honest, ethical business may seem like a no-brainer.

But in today's highly competitive business environment, the temptation to bend the rules looms large.

And don't think that it's OK to do something “just this once.” Not only is a wrong choice always wrong, but one-time ethics breaches often become habits.

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A rash of ethics lapses has given Democrats an election-year headache: how to convince skeptical voters that they’re any cleaner than Republicans they accused of fostering a “culture of corruption” in 2006.

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Focus on doing things ethically to achieve long-term success. Companies that fail to do that show up on the news for the wrong reasons, such as fraud or facing lawsuits. To avoid that and do the right thing:

Emphasize their significance. Cheating and misleading people might work in the short term. But over the long run they'll come back to bite you. Ethical actions help reap lasting gains.

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Individuals Who Report Ethical Misconduct Unfortunately Often Put Their Jobs on the Line

According to the Ethics Resource Center, approximately 25% of government employees who observe misconduct decline to report it because of potential repercussions. Narrowed to clinical trials, that statistic almost certainly gets worse. Lacking a credible promise of legal sanctuary, prospective whistle-blowers’ fear of retaliation may heavily chill their speech.

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By James A. Nortz

The NBES is the only nationwide longitudinal study that tracks the views of employees at all levels within organizations to reveal a real-life view of their ethics performance and the ethics risks they face. This year’s results, published in mid-November, surprised even the ERC.

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