Introduction
Organizational success fundamentally depends on a good Code of Ethics. This is because, the Code of Ethics determines and defines every course of action all stakeholders take. Below is a proposed Code of Ethics for a budding restaurant, Gahiji’s Delicacies.
Code of Ethics for Gahiji’s Delicacies
- Gahiji’s Delicacies shall always provide an Equal Employment Opportunity to its potential and actual employees.
- Employment, promotions, bonuses and additional perks shall be issued based on merit.
- All operations of Gahiji’s Delicacies, its employees and all its stakeholders must conform and be subject to the federal and state government regulations and laws.
- Gahiji’s Delicacies shall also observe Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) to curtail acts of discrimination in its premises.
- All Gahiji’s Delicacies employees are expected to observe professional conduct with regard to courteous speech, hygiene, and use of personal discretion.
- Only the executive organ shall disseminate information on all the affairs of Gahiji’s Delicacies to the media.
- All Gahiji’s Delicacies employees must conform to the health requirements for hotel workers within their areas of jurisdiction.
- Gahiji’s Delicacies shall neither confiscate or appropriate tips issued by clients to its employees, nor shall it discourage its employees from accepting tips, provided they have been extended in clients’ volition.
- Gahiji’s Delicacies reserves the right to access and observe activities in its IT hardware, software and database.
- Cases of impropriety, disagreements and employees’ rights shall be resolved within the ambit of the human resource offices. Appellants are guaranteed the right to fair hearing, representation and confidentiality.
The reason for the inclusion of the each of the ten elements
All the ten elements above are important. The first element cushions job applicants from discrimination against foreigners in recruitment, promotion and remuneration. It also assures Gahiji’s Delicacies of workplace diversity and a mixture of culinary skills. The second element fosters competence and diligence among employees, while the third one insulates the restaurant from lawsuits. The fifth element helps Gahiji’s Delicacies sanction all forms of discrimination that may happen at its workplace, while the sixth and eighth elements help maintain professional standards among the restaurant’s rank and file.
The seventh element is to help Gahiji’s Delicacies protect its image and business secrets and to appropriate the set-up hierarchy of command. The ninth element should help Gahiji’s Delicacies supervise its employees’ performance and use of its resources. The tenth element provides the firm with a tripartite approach to conflict resolution and inculcates a feeling of oneness among employees.
The importance of the Code of Ethics for every business from an employer’s standpoint
The Code of Ethics helps a business maintain the desired professional standards required of employees. It also helps cushion a firm from lawsuits and negative corporate image that may stem from employees’ wrongdoing. The Code of Ethics also helps a business retain the desired talents and skills through fair recruitment and remuneration (Kaptein, 2011).
The importance of the Code of Ethics for every business from an employee’s standpoint
The Code of Ethics helps a business consistently meet its objectives, mission and aims, as each employee meets his performance target. Secondly, as the business continues to enjoy professionalism from its employees, it is able to grow and competitively remunerate its staff. Employees also get to benefit directly from the set Code of Ethics. For instance, the recognition of the right of employees to enjoy tips duly issued to them affirms the respect due to them and the work they do.
Implementation to ensure compliance to the written Code of Ethics
Implementing the written Code of Ethics to ensure compliance entails making the very Codes part of the organization’s constitution. Again, the Code of Ethics should be made part of the terms and conditions that employees should sign their consent against, when being employed (Sharma, 2013). The Code of Ethics should also be aligned to the constitution, and the federal and state laws so that they are not subject to legal challenges and tussles.
References
Kaptein, M. (2011). Toward effective codes: Testing the relationship with unethical behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 99(2), 233-251. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-010-0652-5
Sharma, G. (2013). Encouraging positive workplace behavior: ethics on the job. CLEAR International Journal of Research in Commerce & Management, 4(10), 54-57.
