Majority of the employees (about 92 per cent) in the Mena region consider top ethics and integrity to be very important in a company, said a survey by leading jobsite Bayt.com.

 

About 55 per cent of the employees said they have been asked to do things that clash with their personal values, revealed Bayt.com in its ‘Values, Ethics and Integrity in the Mena Workplace’ poll.

 

As many as six in 10 said their company had a written code of ethics, which 67.8 per cent claimed was fleshed out and well-communicated in a transparent manner, the survey found. 

 

It also revealed that ethics training is required at 68 per cent of respondents’ companies, with 78.8 per cent claiming that ethical criteria are included in the employee appraisal system. 

 

About 17.2 per cent of the poll respondents said that their company is not at all transparent about its values, with a further 15 per cent stating that the level of transparency is low. 

 

The top managers set a good example of ethical conduct according to 68 per cent of respondents, though only 47.7 per cent considered that their direct manager is someone with a high level of ethics and integrity. 

 

However, about 23.3 per cent stated that their direct manager may not be someone they see as having a high level of ethics and integrity. 

 

About 66 per cent of respondents claimed that their companies had procedures for reporting unethical behavior, for which about 72 per cent of them were punished at the respective organisations.

 

Meanwhile, about 51.5 per cent of respondents believed it was possible to succeed professionally without compromising their personal morals and values, as opposed to 29.8 who believed the opposite was true. 

 

Suhail Al-Masri, VP of sales, Bayt.com, said: “Transparency and a just and ethical approach to work is very important in the Mena region’s workplace. Creating an environment that encourages ethical practices and upholds strong values is imperative in attracting top talent, who seek work at organizations that are in line with their own ethical values and moral drivers. 

 

“With this in mind, companies across the Mena are increasingly working towards adopting more policies that actively nurture an ethical, integrity-driven workplace – one in which transparency and respect for values is vital.” - TradeArabia News Service