Ethics isn’t about big scandals — it’s about little decisions made each day

I’m determined to enjoy summer, but even while trying to unplug, I can’t help noticing just how often workplace ethics are making headlines.

For instance, Bell Canada made headlines after terminating employees who allegedly manipulated office attendance records by swiping into the building and immediately leaving.

Ethical failures don’t always involve millions of dollars or make international headlines. Sometimes, they look like an employee manipulating attendance records, exaggerating an expense claim or taking credit for someone else’s work. The dollar value may be small, but the damage to trust can be enormous.

As an HR consultant, I spend a surprising amount of time talking about ethics. Not because organizations are filled with bad people, but because good people sometimes make poor decisions when they are stressed, feel misplaced entitlement or are convinced “everyone else does it.”

That’s one of the biggest dangers. Once questionable behaviour becomes common, it starts to feel normal.

I’ve seen workplaces where chronic lateness becomes accepted because nobody addresses it. I’ve seen leaders ignore inappropriate jokes because they don’t want to create conflict. I’ve watched organizations slowly lower their standards simply because holding people accountable feels difficult.

Culture doesn’t usually change overnight. It changes one exception at a time.

In recent years, we’ve also become far more aware of workplace behaviour that would once have been dismissed as “that’s just how they are.” Bullying, intimidation, disrespectful communication and abuse of authority are no longer accepted nearly as often as they once were. That’s progress.

But incivility remains one of the most common ethical issues organizations face.

People often imagine ethics as fraud, theft or corruption. More often, ethics looks like treating people with respect even when you’re frustrated, giving credit where it’s due, following the same rules you expect everyone else to follow and owning up to your mistakes. Namely, doing the right thing whether or not someone is watching.

These everyday decisions build trust. And trust is one of the most valuable assets any organization has. Once it’s damaged, it can take years to rebuild.

We’ve certainly seen enough examples of that over the past few years. Organizations that failed to address toxic workplace cultures have faced public criticism, expensive investigations and significant damage to their reputations.

Leaders who believed their position protected them discovered that public expectations around accountability have changed.

Employees are paying attention. Customers are paying attention. The public is paying attention.

And increasingly, they expect organizations to act when ethical concerns arise.

The good news is ethics isn’t complicated because the rules are complicated. It’s complicated because people are.

Sometimes, there are competing priorities. Sometimes, there isn’t a perfect solution. Sometimes, doing the right thing costs more money, takes more time or requires having a very uncomfortable conversation. That’s where a simple pause can make all the difference.

Before making a difficult decision, ask yourself a few questions:

Would I be comfortable explaining this decision to my team?

Would I feel okay if this appeared on social media tomorrow?

Am I applying the same standard to myself that I expect from others?

Who benefits from this decision, and who could be harmed?

Is there a conflict of interest that I’m trying to justify?

Those questions won’t solve every ethical dilemma, but they usually point you in the right direction.

Organizations also have an important role to play. A code of conduct sitting untouched on the intranet isn’t enough. Ethics can’t simply be part of orientation and then forgotten.

Employees need to see leaders model ethical behaviour every day.

That means admitting mistakes, being transparent when decisions are unpopular, following policies consistently, investigating concerns fairly and holding high performers accountable when they cross the line instead of looking the other way because “they’re too valuable.”

Nothing destroys trust faster than inconsistent accountability. One employee is disciplined while another receives a pass because of their title, seniority or results. People notice — and once employees believe fairness no longer exists, engagement quickly follows it out the door.

Fortunately, I’m also seeing encouraging trends.

More organizations are investing in respectful workplace training. Boards are asking stronger governance questions. Leaders are recognizing psychological safety and ethical leadership go hand-in-hand. Employees are becoming more comfortable speaking up when something doesn’t feel right.

That’s healthy.

Creating an ethical workplace isn’t about assuming people will never make mistakes. It’s about creating an environment where doing the right thing is expected, supported and recognized. At the end of the day, ethics isn’t really about avoiding scandal, it’s about earning trust.

Every interaction at work is an opportunity to reinforce the kind of culture we want to create. It happens in the emails we send, hiring decisions we make, expense claims we submit and difficult conversations we choose to have instead of avoiding.

These ordinary moments rarely make the news, but they shape how much trust, respect and accountability exist in an organization.

Ultimately, the workplace culture we experience is built through these everyday choices — and each of us contributes to it every single day.

Tory McNally, CPHR, BSc., vice-president,

professional services at TIPI Legacy HR+

(formerly Legacy Bowes), is a human resource

consultant, relationship builder and problem solver. She can be reached at tmcnally@tipipartners.com