23 April 2007
Work-life balance effects ethics, survey says
Companies who communicate about work-life priorities have more ethical employees, study suggests.
Getting work-life balance right makes employees more ethical, according to a study carried out for professional services firm, Deloitte USA, of more than 1,000 US employees.
Management has a key role in communicating ethical behavior through setting a good example.
According to the survey, 91% of all employed adults agreed that workers are more likely to behave ethically at work when their employer is good at communicating and promoting a strong work-life balance.
"To attract and retain talent, it's imperative that employers provide employees with the means to attain a healthy work-life balance," says Sharon Allen, chairman of the board at Deloitte USA. "This isn't only key to job satisfaction and retaining your most valued employees, but it's also critical in fostering an ethical workplace culture," she says.
Role of management
The survey, which was carried out for Deloitte by business research company, Harris Interactive, also found out that management has a key role in communicating ethical behavior through setting a good example.
Management and leadership have a huge responsibility in setting examples for their organizations and living the values they preach.
Those surveyed ranked the behavior of management (42%) and direct supervisors (36%) as two of the top contributors to the promotion of an ethical workplace.
"Management and leadership have a huge responsibility in setting examples for their organizations and living the values they preach if they want to sustain a culture of ethics," says Allen. "Leaders have a duty to build and foster a values-based culture that thrives on high ethical standards and makes corporate and social responsibility a top priority," she says.
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