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Small Business Employees Sometimes Lack Ethics
Many small businesses are saddled with a very familiar problem. How do you find good employees? For business this seems to be an age old question. A question that seems to have a great deal of answers but no real solutions.
Hiring a good employee can be a hit or miss proposition. Hopefully though once you have gained some experience and learned from your mistakes your percentage of good hires will rise. But because good hires are so hard to find you must keep an eye out for unethical behavior from your employees.
Many small businesses though are still going to be stuck with an unfortunately large number of employees they'd rather do without. Many of these small businesses are ones that rely on manual labor to get the job done.
The reason why is fairly simple. Skilled professions typically require some sort of education. Whether it's a formal education requiring a college degree or a more hands on education such as an apprenticeship with a business.
So what exactly does this difference mean when the question of ethics comes up? Simply put getting an education in a particular field requires commitment. And people that make such commitments are more likely to value the rewards they earn.
With education can come a better paying job and maybe what they consider a better life. Now apply that fact to the workplace.
An employee that has made that commitment to improving their life now has something to lose. And because they value what they have earned and they do not want to risk it they are more conscious about acting ethically in their workplace. They consider the consequences of doing something stupid.
Now let's look at the other end of the spectrum. A laborer working for a small business is not looking at having a long term career with the company. More than likely it's just another job to them.
It's possible they have spent some time at a particular company and they know the ins and outs of it. And because they are familiar with the workings of the business they know what they can and cannot get away with. This provides temptation.
Now just because someone doesn't have a more formal education it doesn't mean they are bad people and are out to steal the company blind. But such a person does have less to lose and they might be more willing to give in to their temptations even though they know better.
If their own moral code of right and wrong is somewhat less than solid then they may not really consider the consequences of acting inappropriately. This is where their ethics will be tested each day.
The solution for someone in this situation is simple. You need to make them feel that they are a part of the team. People want to belong to something. They need to feel that their contributions no matter what they are are valued.
Once again a person needs to feel they have something to lose if they are to value they have. And you are in a position to provide that value to them. If a person has a reason to think twice before they do something they are more likely to going to act in an ethical manner.
About the Author Cash Miller is an expert in small business affairs. To receive more tips that can help your business to succeed you can sign up for his FREE Newsletter. Once you've signed up your going to receive access to 5 FREE E-Books that can help your business prosper. And as a Bonus FREE Newsletter Members can expect to receive an additional FREE E-Book each week.
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