The Future of Business

The most fundamental way to contribute to ethical internal business practices is by writing and enforcing a well-formulated code of ethics for the company. When unethical business practices are exposed, rarely is it unbeknownst to the CEO (Henning). Things like a supportive work environment, fair pay, and positive impact can all be established from a high-level managerial position.

Having a supportive work environment is one of the most important contributors to employee satisfaction (Todd). Of course, racism, sexism, sexual assault, and unequal treatment are unacceptable in any work environment. However, even well intentioned individuals can make statements that make others uncomfortable (Elington). It's important that employees feel free to come forward and that HR is required to receive all reports of misconduct. A supportive work environment also means hiring people to work on things they're passionate about, and then letting them work on those things. Passionate employees are more productive, happier, and nicer to work with (Todd).

Fair pay varies depending on the job and the source. The Health and Human Services sets the poverty guideline at $25,750 for a family of four (2019). New York State sets it at $46,435 (2018-2019). There are services such as Glassdoor and Indeed that can estimate the market value of a job. Predatory business practices, such as those practiced by Amazon, are clearly unethical and are established at the highest level of management (LaVecchia)(Jobs). Benefits and reasonable hours also fall into this category. Proper compensation is the absolute minimum required by a company.

Some organizations exist with the express purpose of positive social impact with very low margins, e.g. Planned Parenthood, the NAACP, or the ACLU. Some help individuals by providing a good product and doing fair business practices, such as HEB and Costco. One could say that Bill Gates' own philanthropy makes Microsoft also a conduit for positive impact. I think it's hard to say that small businesses and startups are obligated to do things that don't provide monetary gain, but I think every ethics-minded company should try to produce products that help people. It's compelling for the employees (Todd), and presents good PR for the company. Every company has opportunities to be socially and ethically minded, and to treat its workers fairly. Doing so helps all the parties involved, and above all its the right things to do.

“2018-2019 Federal Income Guidelines.” New York State Department of Health, www.health.ny.gov/prevention/nutrition/wic/income_guidelines.htm.
“2019 Poverty Guidelines.” ASPE, 11 Jan. 2019, aspe.hhs.gov/2019-poverty-guidelines.
Contributor, Guest. “How Amazon Undercuts Wages and Working People at Taxpayer Expense.” 
Jobs With Justice, 7 Feb. 2017, www.jwj.org/how-amazon-undercuts-wages-and-working-people-at-taxpayer-expense.
Eligon, John. “The 'Some of My Best Friends Are Black' Defense.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/sunday-review/ralph-northam-blackface-friends.html.
Henning, Peter J. “When Money Gets in the Way of Corporate Ethics.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Apr. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/business/dealbook/when-money-gets-in-the-way-of-corporate-ethics.html.
LaVecchia, Olivia, and Stacy Mitchell. “When It Comes to Working People, Amazon Isn't Innovative at All.” Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 12 Mar. 2018, ilsr.org/amazon-workers/.
Todd, Benjamin. “We Reviewed 60 Studies on What Makes for a Dream Job. Here's What We Found.” 80,000 Hours, 80000hours.org/career-guide/job-satisfaction/.

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