Character in the Workplace

We believe employers everywhere should follow the wisdom of “hire for character…train for skill.”

The research is clear: Companies and organizations that emphasize integrity and respect in the workplace see an uptick in job satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity.

Ethics in the Workplace

Q&A with Michele Brown and Dr. Patricia Harned. View an edited clip from their Q&A on our YouTube channel.

Michele Brown is SVP, General Counsel, Health Group, and Corporate Ethics and Compliance Counsel at Leidos and Dr. Patricia Harned is CEO at Ethics & Compliance Initiative.

Featured Posts

Why Do People Steal at Work?
Recent research shows that 75 percent of employees steal from their employer at least once. Find out why and what workplace leaders can do to prevent stealing and theft.

Why Do People Lie at Work?
Lying is a tool – and for some people a tool that works.

Champions For Character – Workplace “Ethics In Action”

Character.org is proud to recognize Dan Houston as the recipient of our 2022 John Winthrop Wright “Ethics in Action” Award. Dan is Chairman, President and CEO of the Principal Financial Group and was nominated for the award by Scott Raecker, the Executive Director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University. In his nomination, Scott wrote that “Dan repeatedly encourages his employees to speak up if someone is not following the company’s Global Code of Conduct. Dan wants his employees to summon their courage and do the right thing.”

Interested in learning more?

Here are some organizations that can help you get started:

Ethics and Compliance Initiative

Empowers leaders to create strong ethical workplace cultures that do the right thing.

Jim Loehr

A world-renowned C-suite leadership coach whose most recent book is Leading with Character.

Scholars of Finance

On a mission to inspire character and integrity in the finance leaders of tomorrow.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Focuses on rigorous analysis of real-world ethical problems and developing the tools to address those problems. The Center is Based at Santa Clara University.

Jon Mertz

A thought leader who believes that business needs to be purposeful.

Commitment

Parents need to commit to model and reinforce to their children the core values and character strengths that mean the most to them. They also need to be creative and offer meaningful experiences that illuminate how important these character strengths are to the family’s core values.

Conversations

We know “We need to talk” freaks kids out, but too often parents avoid having conversations about character, especially as children get older. While it may not be easy to talk sometimes, we know from the research that parents who avoid talking to their children about serious matters quickly lose trust and connection.

Celebration

Parents need to find ways for their children to be active participants in their own character growth. Optimal character development occurs when children begin to make self-motivated commitments to consistently practice a core value (e.g. “I want to be the kind of person who is always honest and shows up on time.”) Parents need to celebrate these moments to shape and define individual character.