Sample Case Study On Developing Effective Ethics Training Program

The ever increasing competition in the business world today forces employees to increase their efficiency in meeting the demands of the job and at the same time strive to achieve a number of ethical considerations. While there are ways that organizations can ensure that their employees meet the ethical standards and also work at their best, training is one important aspect that an organization should consider. It is important for the organization to develop and communicate their ethical standards to their employees. Passing this information will require the organization to develop organizational structures that can facilitate the dissemination of such information. There are various training techniques that the organization can explore in the quest of training their employees on ethical issues and standards. Amongst the most important of these are, induction or orientation training, foundation training, on job training, refresher, and development training.

Induction or orientation training

This is the training that is given to the new employees so that they can learn the dos and don ts of the organization. The training should begin the moment the employee joins the organization and often aims at equipping the new employees with knowledge about the organization and the personnel in the organization. Such kind of training always develops attitudes of personal dedication to the people and the service of the organization. This training is important to the organization since when people join an organization they always have the urge to know the values and the principles of the organization. The training thus provides such a chance and makes sure that the new staff is well equipped to work in the organization (Klein & Weaver, 2000).

Foundation training

Such kinds of training are also important for staff that is joining the organization. Apart from one having the technical and competent knowledge of a particular job, it is also necessary for these people to know some of the communication skills, ethical standards, administrative capabilities, leadership ability among other things that define a particular job occupation. Foundation training makes sure that employees get an opportunity to train and strengthen their skill in their careers (Tallentire, Smith, Wylde & Cameron, 2011).

On job training

This is a form of training that is often referred to as hoc training. This kind of training is often scheduled for instance; it might come after every fortnight. Such kind of training is always or often technology-driven and may involve informal discussions, presentations, and other opportunities to try out new skills. In such kind of training, the organization uses materials such as online tutorial where they teach their staff about various ethical issues. The organization can also schedule discussion where the staff discusses some of their experiences regarding ethical issues and ways to solve them. At most times, the superiors in departments are the ones that are given the responsibilities to carry out such training. They are therefore supposed to develop strategies that can make sure that each of the employees is well informed about ethical issues in the organization.
This is the kind of training that provides the trainees with situations that require them to make decisions. These kinds to of training are always aimed at making trainees apply what they know in dealing with situations and providing solutions to problems. At most times, the focus of such training is to analyze the approach that the trainees use and not the solutions they provide. Such training is essential in the case of Wal-Mart since the employees can be asked to provide solutions to the situation that took place there. Employees can then be tested on the skills they have learned.
Simulation can also be a good technique that an organization can use in passing ethical skills to employees. In this kind of training, the organization can create a seemingly real situation and require the employees to engage in it. Through the engagement, the employees can learn vital skills that can help them better their performance. In simulation training, the employees can be presented with a situation such as the one in Wal-Mart. The employee is then expected to learn something from the experience (Tallentire, Smith, Wylde & Cameron, 2011). Such kind of training provides first-hand learning or rather real situation learning.

Training objectives

As it has emerged, it is important for the organization to consider the use of ethical principles carefully. Each employee in the organization has a role to play in enhancing ethics in the organization. With a training program, the organization seek to cultivate the culture of integrity, loyalty, fairness, respect for others, and commitment to excellence, reputation, and morale. The incident that took place in the organization was a clear indicator of employees that lack fairness and do not have any commitment to excellence.
The incident that happened in Walmart is a classic example of employees that do not uphold the virtue of fairness. Any ethical executive is expected to uphold and be committed to fairness. Employees that uphold the ethical principle of fairness cannot exercise power arbitrarily or use indecent means to gain or maintain any advantage over others. The purpose of this training is to make sure that all the employees adhere to this principle at all times. It is through such training that employees will avoid cases of racism in the workplace (Rottig & Heischmidt, 2007).
The training program also endeavors to inculcate the virtue of respect to one another amongst all the employees. Employees are not only supposed to respect their superiors, but they are also supposed to respect one another. The same measure of respect is expected to apply even between employees and the customers. Respect should be understood from the precincts of human dignity, privacy, rights, autonomy, rights and interest for all.
Obedience to the law is also one of the ethical principles that this program seeks to inculcate into the employees. It is evident that a good number of employees do not respect the law. Their actions are quite contrary to the spirit of the constitution. The concern of the program is to make sure that all the employees both the new and the old adhere to the spirit of the constitution. That is to say, the program seeks to get the employees knowledgeable about the ethical principles as enshrined in the constitution. It is important to note that some employee’s action arise from the fact that they are not aware of the legal principles that govern their actions. It is with this respect that the program seeks to get them educated and informed of the law.
The program also seeks to ensure that all the employees carry themselves with integrity. The case from video shows an employ that lacks integrity. The program seeks to make sure that each employee can earn the trust of the other through personal integrity. In this case, integrity refers to the wholeness of character that comes about when there is consistency between one's actions, thoughts, and words. For one to maintain integrity, then one should have some moral courage. The program also seeks to make sure each employee can live by the ethical principle despite the pressure from others (Mkhize, 2014).
Organizations need realize the importance that comes with an ethics training programs. But the most important thing is that the organization should define the clear goals of the program. It is through such that the organization can make the best out of training programs. The organization also has a responsibility of selecting the best material that can easily facilitate the whole training. Ideally, with proper planning it is possible for an organization to educate and enhance the application of ethical principles amongst its staff.

References

Halim, A., & Ali, M. (2015).Chapter 15 - Training and professional development. Fao.org. Retrieved 1 April 2015, from http://www.fao.org/docrep/w5830e/w5830e0h.htm
Klein, H., & Weaver, N. (2000). The Effectiveness Of An Organizational-Level Orientation Training Program In The Socialization Of New HireS. Personnel Psychology, 53(1), 47-66.
Mkhize, N. (2014). Ethical Decision-Making in Cultural Context: Implications for Professional Practice. Mediterranean Journal Of Social Sciences. doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p2413
Rottig, D., &Heischmidt, K. (2007).The Importance of Ethical Training for the Improvement of Ethical Decision-Making.Journal Of Teaching In International Business, 18(4), 5-35.
Tallentire, V., Smith, S., Wylde, K., & Cameron, H. (2011). Are medical graduates ready to face the challenges of Foundation training?.Postgraduate Medical Journal, 87(1031), 590-595.