Business Ethics

Many people are dissatisfied with their jobs for numerous reasons. They don’t feel valued. They work below their capabilities. Incompetence of colleagues and managers is also a factor. They expect to hate work. They are made to feel that they can't change things and their values are compromised. To a certain extent there is a cultural effect here. People expect to not enjoy work because that is the expectation placed upon them. In the same way 'everyone' is supposed to not enjoy school. It doesn't mean that learning can't be enjoyable. It just means that it is socially acceptable for the majority of people to not enjoy it and so the bad systems and practices that cause this are allowed to continue. Further to this, people work well within their capabilities. Although it is possible for a person to develop at amazing speed, the world of work moves far more slowly and as a result people are not pushed, developed or encouraged. They are instead pigeonholed for convenience of administration.

This leads to another issue - people feel under-valued. The attitude of managers, staff communications, the quality of the environment, the provision of parking, all these things can say to people that they are not valued. These are hygiene factors: if the company gets them right no one is more motivated, but get them wrong and it is strongly de-motivating. There is a simple way around this issue, care enough about your fellow humans to think from their perspective. People know when you are not doing this - hence they feel under-valued. Based on Herzberg’s Motivation Hygiene Theory, employers can motivate employees thru recognition, empowering the employees, provide challenges and increase levels of responsibility. The employee must be fully utilized based on their full abilities. Management must provide these hygiene factors to avoid employee dissatisfaction.

The sum of this is that people have values. They want to be treated with respect, feel proud of what they...