Today is Global Ethics Day, an annual event launched in 2014 by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. It is commemorated and celebrated by more than 100 countries worldwide.

Since it began 110 years ago, the Carnegie Council has undertaken some incredible work. Like its founder, Andrew Carnegie, the Foundation promotes the power of ethics to build a better world.

It encourages businesses, places of learning, governments, citizens and countries around the globe to reflect on what ethics mean to them. What better time, therefore, for STEP members to consider what ethics mean to each of us and the organisations we work for?

Let us first dispel some myths concerning ethics. Firstly, ethics is not only relevant for philosophers or academics, although they have certainly contributed to the body of work on the subject over thousands of years.

Secondly, ethics is not about coming up with unrealistic or unattainable goals or rules that ‘perfect’ people should follow in a ‘perfect’ world’.

Ethics should be seen as a much simpler concept. The Carnegie Council believes that ethics are ‘about how we learn to live together, celebrate our differences and face the global challenges of both today and tomorrow’. Ethics apply to all of us. They help us navigate challenges, drive our interactions with others, help form our assumptions and shape our decisions. In short, ethics make us who we are or possibly who we want to be.

STEP requires its members to possess and demonstrate high professional standards. Our Code of Professional Conduct sets out the behaviours, or ethical values, we expect of members when dealing with others. This includes our clients, our colleagues and other professionals. Collaboration and community, integrity, honesty, professionalism and continuous learning are some of the behaviours reflected in STEP’s core values.

Acting ethically, especially in a business environment, can be challenging. We may report to shareholders, business owners or business leaders who are driven by profitability. Their corporate or financial goals may at times be at odds with our ethical beliefs. Sometimes we are required to take decisions based on obligations imposed by strict policies and procedures regardless of our views of the impact on others.

We live in a diverse world and the behaviours or beliefs of some will not always align with those of others. Our assumptions can also get in the way of our behaviours and impact our ethical views. It’s one thing to say that we always think critically, but how often do we revert to actions or decisions based on our long-held assumptions?

It is also possible that our behaviours and ethical views may change in time as we progress in our careers, start a new role or move country, especially if work goals are at odds with what we are comfortable doing.

So how can we manage these challenges? Unfortunately, there is no easy solution. Some researchers suggest that ethical concepts should not be taught or imposed in a mechanical or forced way in order to ‘tick a box’, nor considered or applied in isolation from the ‘real world’ work environment.

Instead, ethics should be encapsulated as part of our day-to-day activities with appropriate behaviours instilled while we acquire our technical knowledge. By extension, when we are coaching or mentoring colleagues it would be advisable to incorporate ethical approaches to dilemmas in our tutelage. Providing context using real-world scenarios or shared experiences will help colleagues better understand what is required of them and how to adopt best behaviours, ideally as second nature.

STEP has sought to do this through its education programmes and the delivery of seminars and conferences. STEP’s Continuing Professional Development Policy requires members to maintain and continue to develop their knowledge and skills relevant to their role. Ethical considerations should be an important element to this.

We all face ethical dilemmas at various stages of our professional careers as well as in our personal lives. Some readers might be struggling with such an issue right now. Often we will instinctively know what to do, as our core beliefs will come to the surface and remind us what we think is right and wrong and help us find a solution.

This subjective approach can be a natural response but as humans we don’t always process or assess things in the same way. Outcomes based on right and wrong can be blurred. This is why STEP’s Code of Professional Conduct can be helpful as it objectively helps us to highlight what our core beliefs should be based on.

On this Global Ethics Day, why not take the time to reflect on:

• what ethics mean to you in your context;
• how you would demonstrate being an ethical person and professional;
• what you would do if you were asked to act in a way that conflicts with your core beliefs;
• whether you follow your assumptions or employ critical thinking when making decisions; and
• whether you would engage in conversation with colleagues when an ethical challenge is presented.

Robin McGhee TEP, member of STEP’s Professional Standards Committee

#EthicsEmpowered #GlobalEthicsDay