No matter what the situation is, no matter how stuck you are, one thing that our leaders must understand is that ethics in a business are of utmost importance. Whatever we may decide to do in our personal lives is to a great extent debatable but for any business, ethics are something that simply cannot be comprised upon. Now, why do ethics hold such an importance? There can be numerous reasons for the same but the few broad ones have been given below:
- Builds A Good Reputation
For any company, reputation has a very huge role to play in its success. More and more investors are attracted to your company if you enjoy a good reputation in the market. Not only this, employees would feel lucky to be associated with this venture and automatically work harder because the job becomes more precious. Customers will also start trusting the brand and will not think twice before buying your product. Therefore, having a good reputation is a win-win situation for any company.
- Paves A Moral Path In Turbulent Times
Businesses are hit with crisis almost everyday. The difference lies in the severity of the crisis. In difficult and turbulent times, companies most often take the road that leads them downhill. In such a scenario, ethics come into play. They light the path which may be difficult but eventually what is best. Therefore, they pave a righteous path which would help the company not only now but for future times to come.
- Reduces Acts Of Omission And Ensures Legality Of Policies
If there are numerous lawsuits that your company is facing, the stakeholders are bound to be scared about the future of the company and they would take themselves out at the first opportunity that they get. Ethics, however, if followed make sure that these acts of omission will be caught very early on and before converting themselves into criminal acts punishable by law. Policies if framed according to ethical integrity can never prove to be dangerous for your company.
- Employee Satisfaction And Promoting Teamwork
As they say lead by example, if the employees see their leader following ethics, the will and motivation to work increases manifold and they all start working as a team for the betterment of the company. If employees feel that they are cared about, are not denied their basic rights and they believe that what they are doing is ethical, the satisfaction is also achieved and they start treating the company as their own and put in their blood and sweat to take the company onto new heights.
- Customer Loyalty
If you have a good image in the marketplace, you are likely to not only attract new customers but also retain your old ones. People are more likely to choose your brand over the competition and other similar products made available to them. This creates a good base and further if they like your product, they will put in a good word to their friends and family!
- Increases The Scope Of Partnerships
Partnerships can prove to be very crucial in the making or breaking of a business. Partners will only want to link themselves with your company if they know you are ethically sound. Partnerships improve your market relations and eventually increase the chance of the company to go into profits. Partners should be able to believe that since you have a strong ethical foundation, the risk of their image getting tarnished is very minimal and at the same time profits are maximised.
- A Healthy Competition Is Maintained
When everyone in a business decides to follow ethics, it will become an ideal situation to run a business. No deceiving and cheating would take place, the result of which would be the establishment of healthy competition. Consumers will have ample choice as to whom to select and because of this healthy competition, companies would start focussing on improving the quality of their products in order to gain supremacy in the market.
Ethics is something that each and every one of us should try to embed into the structure of our companies. It should be so deep rooted that no matter what, these principles can never be uprooted. Strive to make the workplace better for everyone through following the simplest of ethical practices. We may not realise what importance ethics hold in the present scenario and being unethical may seem like the easier option, but it is only in the future that their true value is revealed. For a flourishing business, ethics will always have the upper hand in deciding the fate of the company.