Ethical Environments

“New study from LRN finds U.S. workplaces at risk for reduced worker productivity and scandal” The finds of this study basically say that if unethical behavior is tolerated at the work place it is less controllable and more distracting to workers. This article really made me think of the classroom setting and how much these finding may also relate to our place of study.

When you think about it, students tend to get very distracted by a teacher’s methods and policies. Many students actively search out so called “easy teachers”; this is evident because of the website entitled “rate your professor”, a website where students can say whatever they wish about any teacher. I noticed the other day a graduate student arguing with a professor about a late assignment. The student’s argument was that she should just be docked points for the late work because that’s what most teachers do for late work. The teacher argued that this was not her policy and the assignment would not be accepted at all after the turn in date. The whole situation made me reflect on how as students we may have become accustom to leniency from professors. I don’t know if I think that it is unethical to accept late work; but it is interesting how many of us would expect work to be accepted with a penalty. Is it unethical for a teacher to not take attendance, allow for a formula sheet during a test, or allow students to make up missed work? I don’t think I would label these as “unethical situations”, but I do know that rules have been bent so often that we students have come to expect them to always be bent even though a teacher has every right to follow these rules to the letter. I wonder how this all will affect us in the workplace, will we expect and accept rules being bent? Will we notice when these bent rules are actually large lapses in ethical practice?