For example, in dealing with sexual harassment, trainees are instructed that harassment is unethical because it robs employees of dignity, creates fear, creates dishonesty, and restricts their freedom to work as an effective employee. Harassment can be in the form of an overt request for sex in return for favors, such as a promotion or raise. Harassment can also include telling off-color jokes, the display of offensive pictures, undue staring, and touching. At this point, trainees should have an opportunity to apply the critical thinking skills they learned in Component 1. Trainees could discuss how this situation creates long-term bad feelings, mistrust, and even fear, possible coworker suspicions, and a tarnished company image.
People differ in terms of how they perceive and react to ethical issues.
The reason for this is that they not only have different perspectives on what is right and wrong, but also that they have different personalities which guide them. Thus, while much work has focused on the more philosophical aspects of ethical behavior at work, individual differences or personality traits may also impact the choice of ethical action. Measures of individual differences and characteristics related to an employee's morality can provide an employee with an understanding of his or her proclivities toward particular ethical judgments, both in terms of deficits and strengths. For example, Machiavellian personality types believe that any means justifies an end they seek. They see no problem with lying to customers, being dishonest with coworkers, and manipulating those under them, if their end goal is better performance for the company.