Ethics in Everything Else

About two or three years ago our company switched to online monthly training which has caused issues with employees who do not regularly use computers in their course of work and who do not have company email addresses. That is a whole other issue though. The “trainings” require you to watch videos and answer questions to be able to move on. A couple of months ago they just required watching the video and not answering questions, so you could let that thing run and not pay attention and it was perfect. March’s training was on Ethics and required some interaction. I have my own issues with Ethics courses/trainings so that didn’t really put me in the best mindset to begin with. But when I took the “test” at the end all it told me was I got an 80% and 80% was passing. What it did not tell me was what was the test worth? 100% 90% 80% or what I got wrong, if anything. My biggest issue with receiving grades for Ethics is that it is a very subjective study. There is no clear right or wrong answer. People are wired differently. To ask a question about whether it is ethical to take a roll of toilet paper home is not as clear cut as yes or no. There are arguments any number of people could make. It is stealing. It is stealing for a better good (would you rather I came to work smelling like urine and feces because I didn’t have proper essential items at home?), to another it is as simple as (well I could just save all my waste and deposit it at the office but…).

Personally I would not take toilet paper home from the office because it is rough as sandpaper and I make a decent wage I can stop at the store and pick some up. But it is still a subjective “test”. Therefore, without laying out clearly what is ethical/unethical you cannot tell a person they are right or wrong.

I had this same argument with my ethics professor in college. Twice. First was in my actual ethics course (which I neither needed nor wanted to take, but my advisor, the ethics professor forced the issue (quite unethical no?). I answered the scenario one way and he told me I was wrong and gave the “correct answer”. Fast forward two semesters later and he pops up in my management class and puts forth the same scenario. I answer with his “correct” answer and he tells me I am wrong. My original “wrong” answer was correct. I asked how ethical is it put forth the same scenario in two different classes, and when the student answers the first instance “incorrectly” and the second instance “correctly” according to the same professor, but is told it is incorrect. He said it was a difference in the disciplines. So apparently in the world of liberal studies ethics are different than in the world of business. Or professors just don’t like to be called on their bullshit when their discipline is all SUBJECTIVE.

Also, this training was designed for an automotive dealership and out company is treatment and corrections focused. So, not really hitting the target audience with that.

And that is how my morning has continued. This after I ran super late and then lost a quarter of a bottle of foundation to the sink and stuck a fully loaded mascara wand into my eye. I need a rewind button!