After reading the article, compare and contrast the similarities and differences between compliance and ethics.  Watson (2014

Ethics versus Compliance Discussion 300 word minimum:

 Before beginning your discussion, read the article Ethics vs. compliance: Do we really need to talk about both? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.  Organizations often use the terms ethics and compliance  interchangeably. However, there are some nuances that are different  between compliance and ethics. After reading the article, compare and  contrast the similarities and differences between compliance and ethics.  Evaluate whether a compliance officer or an ethics officer would be a  better fit in your current organization (or in an organization with  which you are familiar). 

Reply to Edwards Discussion Response must be 200 words:

“Compliance  is following the law, ethics is doing what is right regardless of what  the law says. Compliance is something that the government requires you  to do. Ethics, however, is something you choose to consider when taking  action” (Watson, 2014). Compliances on the job can consist of an  organization complying with state laws in regards to giving employees  breaks. For an example, most state laws require companies to give  employees at least a 30-minute unpaid break and 2 fifteen-minute paid  breaks for an 8-hour shift.

Ethics can become involved when a company gives a worker a 30-minute  break at the beginning of their shift instead of allowing them to work  at least half the shift. This is an unethical act because the supervisor  is only caring about production getting done instead of how the  colleague feels. After hours of working, the colleague will want to take  a lunch break, but the supervisor gave it to them after an hour of  working because work duties get heavier in the later part of the day.  Another example of ethics in the workplace deals with being honest, a  supervisor that lies to colleagues will create a bad work climate.  Colleagues may be unprofessional to customers, show up to work late  while taking longer breaks and take advantage of new hires by making  them do majority of the work.

In my current role as a work at home inbound travel agent, my  organization needs an ethics officer to ensure complaints and  allegations are handled with no moral judgments when dealing with  customers and management. Often times customers get upset with agents  about pricing and cancellation fees and they will give a bad customer  survey score after the call even though the agent was at fault. The bad  survey score reflects our metrics which can prevent us from getting a  promotion or even receive disciplinary action. An ethics officer will  also ensure that management and quality assurance supervisors conduct  themselves professionally and fairly during coaching sessions.

References

Watson, A. (2014, Jan. 27). Ethics vs. compliance: Do we really need to talk about both? Retrieved from http://web3.insidecounsel.com/2014/01/27/ethics-vs-compliance-do-we-really-need-to-talk-abo?&slreturn=1527427563 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Reply to Jeffreys Discussion below 200 word minimum:

After reading the article, compare and contrast the similarities and differences between compliance and ethics. 

Watson (2014) described several similarities and differences between  compliance and ethics which she depicted as being two sides of the same  coin. Compliance is what the law requires you to do, but ethics is what  you choose to do when performing actions. Compliance means following the  law, whereas ethics is choosing actions that one feels is right  regardless of what the law says.

Many different industries have laws and regulations in place that  companies must follow. If they do not, they could face liability, fines,  or other government action. One example where this can be seen is the  recent regulation battle over miles per gallon requirements placed on  the automotive industry. The Obama administration passed regulations  that auto makers need to follow to be compliant. The Trump  administration is now considering dropping these regulations. While the  auto industry currently has to meet these regulations for compliance  reasons, if the regulations were to be dropped it would still be  considered ethical for auto makers to meet these standards because it is  the right thing to do for environmental reasons. 

Evaluate whether a compliance officer or an ethics officer  would be a better fit in your current organization (or in an  organization with which you are familiar).

I currently work at a for-profit higher education organization. While  the organization could benefit from having an ethics and compliance  officer, I think it would mostly benefit from having a compliance  officer. The nature of the industry in which the organization is in has  many laws and regulations that the company must follow. To ensure  compliance with these laws, a compliance officer would be very  beneficial to help avoid any liability, fines, or government actions.

While compliance is certainly important, ethics are also important to  avoid ethical issues such as corruption, accepting gifts, or bribes.  The company should have policies in place that addresses unethical  behavior and describes consequences for not adhering to the policies.  It’s important that all organizations place an emphasis and balance  between compliance and ethics. Too much of one or the other may inhibit  the culture of the company. It’s important to convey the importance of  both; compliance and ethics.

Resource:

Watson, A. (2014, January 27). Ethics vs. compliance: Do we really need to talk about both? Inside Counsel.  Retrieved from  http://web3.insidecounsel.com/2014/01/27/ethics-vs-compliance-do-we-really-need-to-talk-abo?&slreturn=1510619206