The Right Thing Part 3: IT ethics and the recession

A recent zdnet article IT ethics and the recession examined the ethics of IT workers in three countries. The punch line: a large percentage of folks surveyed would steal confidential company data in the event of layoff rumors. The results are fairly ugly, painting a negative picture of ethics in the workplace.

What this demonstrates is that for many people ethics are situational, that is to say: ethical behaviour is acceptable when it produces a desired result. When desired results and ethical behaviour diverge, ethical behaviour goes out the window, and chasing results by whatever means necessary becomes the modus operandi.

These people are not Doing the Right Thing(tm) under normal circumstances. They are Pretending to Do the Right Thing. That their actions are ethical under normal circumstances is a matter of convenience - it's an appearance only. Their underlying orientation and attachment to the material outcomes of action is the cause of sinful behaviour.

A devotee performs his or her actions as a means of pleasing the Supreme Lord. That is the single motivation for action ("one-pointed intelligence"). Thus their commitment to right action (dharma) is unaffected by the "good" and "bad" results that may or may not eventuate. Those with irresolute intelligence are chasing many different goals (in terms of the results of activities - different material outcomes). They will modify their actions and misalign themselves with dharma if they perceive that it will allow them to achieve their goals.

The Right Thing to Do is always the right thing to do.
- Dr. John C. Maxwell

Always choose the hard right over the easy wrong
- Andy Stanley

Related posts:
The Right Thing
The Right Thing Part 2