Introduction to Work Ethics

Workers report to their workplace but refuse to perform their duties.

A strike affecting multiple industries and sectors of a labor force.

Workers in one industry strike to support another related industry that is also striking.

A strike triggered by actions perceived as harmful to employee interests by the employer.

A strike to claim specific job assignments and protest assigning those jobs to other unions or unorganized workers.

Work, being a fundamental aspect of human life, carries moral and legal responsibilities. This means actions in the workplace have consequences that affect not only individuals but also society.

St. Thomas Aquinas viewed work as essential for human flourishing. It provides for basic needs, prevents idleness, controls desires, and enables charitable giving.

Work allows individuals to achieve something, define themselves, measure their abilities, grow personally, and connect with others.

Nurturing a healthy work environment involves practicing the Golden Rule, avoiding offensive humor, promoting ethical conduct, exhibiting forgiveness, generosity, and respect for colleagues.

Employers have a responsibility to treat workers with respect and dignity, valuing their contributions and avoiding exploitative practices.

Employers should provide workers with fair and timely wages that reflect their skills and effort, enabling them to meet their financial needs.

Workers are expected to perform their tasks honestly, fulfilling agreements and upholding ethical standards within their work.

Workers should respect their employer and refrain from damaging property or acting disrespectfully toward them.

Unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. This also includes offensive remarks, displays of sexually suggestive materials, and other forms of conduct creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

Offering a gift to someone, typically as a gesture of appreciation, building goodwill, or for advertising purposes. Gift-giving can be considered inappropriate if it leads to undue influence or violates company policy.

Offering something of value (money, gifts, favors) to someone in a position of authority or influence to persuade them to act in a way that benefits the giver. This is illegal and unethical.

Factors determining whether a gift is inappropriate include its value, purpose, circumstances, relationship between giver and receiver, industry practices, company policy, and legal regulations.

It's considered a good practice to avoid consulting with individuals who promote unrest, discord, or harmful practices. These individuals' influence can be detrimental to maintaining a healthy environment and working towards positive change.

Using misleading or false statements to promote a product, exploiting consumer trust.

Romantic relationships between colleagues, potentially impacting work dynamics.

Setting a price for a product that reflects its true value and is considered fair by both buyer and seller.

Deliberately or unintentionally providing false or misleading information about a product's features, qualities, or benefits.

Deliberately lying about a product's qualities for personal gain.

Providing false information about a product without realizing it's incorrect.

A legal principle where buyers are expected to carefully examine goods before purchasing, assuming responsibility for their choices.

Companies can choose whether or not to recruit new employees. This decision depends on factors like market demand, financial resources, and organizational goals.

The ultimate source of earnings for a company comes from the use of its products or services by consumers. Sales drive profits, which then determine employee compensation.

Some products or services are primarily consumed within the organization itself, with limited external marketing or sales efforts.

Many products or services are primarily consumed within the organization that produces them. For example, a software company might use its own software internally before selling it to external customers.

Bonuses are often tied to the sales of products or services to customers outside of the organization, not just to internal members.

The amount of bonus an employee receives is often determined by the amount of goods or services they sell to external customers.

Bonus schemes typically don't reward employees for selling goods or services to other members within the same organization.

In some cases, bonuses can be based on the consumption of goods or services by people within the organization itself. However, this is less common compared to external sales.

Different organizational structures can have different bonus schemes. Some schemes might focus on internal use, while others emphasize external sales.

A business model where income is primarily generated by recruiting new members into a hierarchical structure, rather than through product sales. Participants earn money by recruiting others, not by selling products.

MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) distinguishes itself from pyramiding by focusing on selling goods and services. Participants can earn money through product sales and commissions on the sales of their recruits. In pyramiding, income is primarily from recruitment, not sales.

A legitimate MLM program features a genuine product or service, with income primarily generated from product sales. Products are competitively priced, and training is provided for participants.

A pyramid scheme is illegal because it relies on deception to recruit participants. The focus is on recruitment, not product sales, and participants primarily earn money by bringing in new members.

A key characteristic of an illegal pyramid scheme is that participants earn money primarily based on their recruitment efforts, not from selling products. There's little emphasis on actual product sales.

Legitimate MLM serves a legitimate economic function. Products are distributed through a network of independent distributors, creating a channel of distribution for the company.

Pyramiding lacks a legitimate economic function. It primarily serves as a means of transferring money from one individual to another, with little value generated through genuine business activities.

Companies operating under a legitimate MLM model provide comprehensive training programs to their participants. This equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to market and sell products effectively.

Pyramiding schemes often lack proper training programs. Participants are mostly incentivized to recruit more people into the scheme, not to develop skills for actual product sales.

Legitimate MLM products are typically priced competitively, reflecting their value and quality. Products are generally consumable and meant for everyday use.