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We discuss the role of ethics in promoting oneself at the workplace
It is easy to make yourself look good by making others appear bad. But is it correct and ethical? The corporate world today boasts of cutthroat competition, the terminology itself saying it all. But it is important for professionals to grow on their own, rather than by sabotaging their colleagues’ careers.
Survival of the fittest implies that only the most skilled and efficient people grow in workplaces. Rahul Gupta, director, BlackNGreen, explains, “Only the most skilled and hardworking members grow in a competitive workplace. The core of this concept lies in how well a person adjusts to his/her surroundings and professional demands. It does not mean that only the fastest, the strongest, or the toughest will dominate; the one who can analyse and conform to the environment is the one with the upper hand.”
R Ramesh, VP & group head-HR, Sanghi Industries Ltd, tells us some of the essential qualities of the fittest, “The speed of responsiveness, flexibility, thorough planning and execution, etc, are some critical requirements. He/she should be able to command respect from team members, encourage them to take risks, try out innovative techniques, praise others for their efforts, take accountability for missing deadlines, communicate well, and influence superiors with logic, reasoning and rationale.”
But that doesn’t mean that professionals let go of their ethics to appear the best. Vidur Kohli, executive VP, continuity business, Perpetuuiti, elaborates, “Moral ambiguity is difficult because it forces people to take responsibility for their own actions, rather than falling back on convenient rules and customs. There may be several right and wrong practices and the employee must choose. Being a good professional means that you take liability for the consequences of your decisions and do things, which are right and ethical.”
Rahul Kulkarni, head-HR, Accelya Kale Solutions Ltd, lists some of the tactics employed by professionals to look good, “It is human nature to achieve success via short cuts. But, doing so using unethical means does more harm than good in the long run. Some activities to watch out for include sabotaging others’ work, downplaying their efforts, gossiping about them, taking others’ credit, office politics, favouritism, etc. All the above hinder the employee’s growth and affects the organisation’s success. Such issues have an adverse effect on team work.”
Such behaviour gets reflected quickly in the organisation and works negatively for the employee. Shrutidhar Paliwal, VP – corporate communications, Aptech Ltd, explains, “Compromising on ethics to progress in a firm does not help individuals for long. In fact, it taints their reputation, subsumes every good work done and hinders their professional growth. Such behaviour is often reflected in review reports by seniors and peers and also sometimes by juniors in organisations where they are given the opportunity to review their bosses.”
Sampatkumar B Aratti, VP & CHRO, Lapp India Pvt Ltd, tells us how a good professional is the one that performs well and aids others to perform well too, “In a professional work environment that is conducive to productivity, each individual needs to work in close co-ordination with each other and treat each other with equal importance. To grow professionally, one has to show excellence not only as an individual, but also as a team player. It is essential to remember that every employee is dependent on his fellow employees to work together and contribute efficiently to the organisation.”
Prateek N Kumar, MD & CEO, NeoNiche Integrated Solutions Pvt Ltd, sums it up, “Each and every area of our work sphere is changing, from software updates to specialised courses; the secret is to keep the student within you active. Adding skills to your knowledge is a positive development and adds value to yourself and the organisation that you work for. Parting ways with ethics or undermining others’ effort does not make you any fitter.”