branded for life

One of our staff resigned and went to a competitor. The contract doesn’t say that she can’t. But is it ethical?

You rarely find the words ‘ethical’ and ‘business’ being put together in the same sentence these days. The problem with ethics is that it deals with moral principles; and that varies from one person to another. What you might consider ethically acceptable may not be to someone else. That’s why legal obligations and contracts work. They function as common grounds that judge behaviors and decisions. Ethics are open to arguments. The law is not. So, saying that, can the business world and ethics still co-exist? Yes, they can exist in your hiring policy, interview profiling-questions and in brand cultural manuals, but not in contracts.

Since we’re discussing moral principles, it is also ethical to question your own thinking. Is it unethical that an employee goes to a competitor? What if the market doesn’t have alternative industries for that employee or if she doesn’t want to leave the industry where her expertise lies? And what about the employee’s livelihood? Are you willing to compensate them if they can’t find a job outside your industry? Putting the fear of your future plans being shared aside, any knowledge or experience an employee gains from working somewhere is theirs to keep. You hire most staff because of that they acquired over the years. So, let’s not deny them the right to continue their journey. And as long as contracts are in place, your ethical side will be fine…and that’s just my two cents.

read what others have read

• two cents: show me the job
• two cents: how to fire
  [an employee, that is]
• two cents: training happens