Steven Mintz

When to Use Nondisclosure and Non-Compete Agreements

Business Ethics, Workplace Behavior / /

Protecting Confidential Information in the Workplace Imagine you have “proprietary information or “trade secrets” that are not generally known to the public and would not ordinarily be available to competitors except via illegal or improper means. For example, trade secrets of manufacturing processes, business plans, computer programs, customer lists, and so on. To protect the […]

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The Rise of Cyberbullying in the Workplace

Cyberbullying, Discrimination / /

Social Media Increasingly Used to Bully Others in the Workplace I have previously blogged about the problem of cyberbullying in the workplace and how it emanates from an abuse of power. It has been reported that most of the time cyber cyberbullying in the workplace is treated with shoulder shrugs. Employers do not see how this social

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Resolving Ethical Conflicts in the Workplace

Business Ethics, civility, Civility in the Workplace, Workplace Behavior / /

How to Develop a Process to Manage Ethical Dilemmas Yesterday I blogged on my ethicssage.com website about “The Role of Management in Establishing an Ethical Culture.” The culture of an organization evolves from the values and ethical standards that should guide all actions and decisions. Today’s blog addresses “How to Deal with Ethical Dilemmas in

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Engaging in Workplace Retaliation

Business Ethics, Wellness, Whistleblowing, Workplace Behavior / /

Employee Protections & Workplace Harassment Workplace retaliation occurs when an employer punishes an employee for engaging in legally protected activity. Retaliation can include any negative job action, such as demotion, discipline, firing, salary reduction, or job or shift reassignment. However, retaliation can also be subtler, as explained by the legal website, NOLO. Federal Protections Federal

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Cyberbullying in the Workplace

Business Ethics, Cyberbullying, Workplace Behavior / /

How to Identify Bullying Behavior by Employees Workplace Bullying refers to repeated, unreasonable actions of individuals (or a group) directed towards an employee (or a group of employees), which are intended to intimidate, degrade, humiliate, or undermine, or which create a risk to the health or safety of the employee(s) including physical and emotional stress. Workplace Bullying often

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Confronting Harassment and Discrimination Complaints

Business Ethics, Sexual Harassment, Workplace Behavior / /

Guidelines to Promote Ethical Decision-making in the Workplace In my last post I discussed a model for ethical decision making, which can be applied to the ethical analysis of challenging issues in the HR function. Today I address the ethics of handling discrimination and harassment complaints. Most employers are anxious when faced with discrimination and

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Signs of Ethical Collapse in an Organization?

Business Ethics, Ethical Culture, Workplace Behavior / /

Reasons and Rationalizations for Unethical Conduct Are there specific signs to look for of impending collapse of an organization? In her book The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse, Marianne Jennings analyzes the indicators of possible ethical collapse in companies and provides advice how to avoid impending disaster. Jennings starts with a description of ethical collapse,

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To Prevent Whistleblowing, Encourage Whistleblowing

Business Ethics, Whistleblowing, Workplace Behavior / /

Developing an Effective Whistleblowing Program Does a strong workplace ethic that promotes whistleblowing enhance the moral actions of corporations? Yes, is the short answer. As we found out during the frauds at companies like Enron and WorldCom, as well as the financial recession, corrupt organizations can only be stopped through whistleblowing. Cynthia Cooper is a

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The Professionalization of Millennials

Millennials & Gen Z, Workplace Behavior / /

Drilling-down on the Workplace Reputations of Millennials I have previously blogged about the work ethic and goals of the Millennial generation. Millennials have been defined as entitled, impatient, and results oriented. These characteristics, combined with the prominent world of technology and social media, have made previous generations ask if this is simply a “results oriented”

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