Workplace Ethics

I can describe ethics in the workplace as the right way to act on the job, whether you are the manager or the employee. You can use ethics positively the right way or negative and possibly get yourself and or others fired. I worked at Target for two and a half years and I only have experienced one negative ethical situation.

I was hired at Target to be an overnight stocker during Target's remodeling. There was a team of us five guys and three girls. One night our supervisor called in and said that she was not going to be able to come until the morning. To everyone expect for me, since I was new, this was normal. Our supervisor left a list of instructions for us to follow that night and told us that if anyone had any problems or questions to ask Mike, one of the team members that had been there for a couple of years.

Well, everyone clocked in as usual and then things got weird. All of the guys plopped down on the couch and turned the TV onto some basketball game. The girls on the other hand I thought went out to the floor to work, nope they went out to chitchat with each other and look at the merchandise. Keeping in mind this is my first week on the job I didn't want to get fired, but I did not know what the first thing I was supposed to do in order to start working.

I walked around the store for about an hour straightening up the merchandise on the shelves. Then I got a little overwhelmed and frustrated. I went to the bathroom and cried for about another hour. I was wondering why this had to happen to me now or maybe I was being too uptight and I should go join the rest of my team.

Eventually my team got on track and began working. I felt relieved. We had lost so much time lollygagging that we had the split up and rush the whole night to get things done. In the morning, when our supervisor got there she was pleased with our work as usual and she never found out about that night.

I believe that I could have done a lot of things to prevent my team members from goofing around when my boss was gone. I could have talked to my team members and asked then to continue to work like normal even when the boss is gone, because they'll never know who could be watching. I should have told my supervisor what happen and explained how felt lost. I could have even got the list of instructions and did everything my self. It was a very tough situation but if I would have been honest and spoke up it would