The Analysis of Unethical Behavior among Employees in Enterprises: A Pilot Study in the Automotive Industry

Transformations that have been taking place in Polish economics in the space of the last twenty years caused a great number of positive changes in many companies as well as significant drawbacks in the organizational behavior. Therefore, it seems vital to determine the factors which influence the negative aspects of organizational behavior. The aim of this paper is to analyze the results of pilot study on unethical behavior of employees that was carried out in small and medium-sized enterprises of automotive industry in the Lublin Province. The survey was conducted between January and May 2012. The group of 115 employees was the subject of the study. The obtained results clearly indicate numerous cases of unethical behavior among employees of the industrial sector, i.e. corruption, fraud sales or the use of manipulation techniques towards clients. On the basis of the study the following conclusions ensue: 1) unfair competition and difficult market situation is a strong impulse that causes the violation of law and violation of ethical norms by the company 2) many employees are aware of their unethical behavior but they usually put it down to a low level of income or negative conduct of their superiors. However, what is important here is that the respondents perceive the industry as the place where unethical behavior can be eliminated and ethics restored. Moreover, they claim that there is every possibility to run the company where both ethical values and respect for people and the environment are still vital issues. Companies using honesty as their best policy receive broad acclaim and good reputation. Business ethics, being an important element in the strategy of the organization, is a great asset for contemporary business and largely determines its success on the market. But the decisive role in shaping the appropriate ethical attitude is determined by owners and managers, for it is ethics that is an important foundation of corporate responsibility, as it constitutes the obligation of employers and staff t act according to the principles of legal and social norms. The conducted pilot study is the part of thorough research carried out by the authors in the presented paper.