CODES OF ETHICS VERSUS EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION: THE RESULTS OF CASE STUDY RESEARCH

Abstract

The aim of this article is to indicate possible relations between codes of ethics adopted in companies and organizations and the values actually expected by employees. The implementation of codes does not necessarily mean observance of the declared norms. There is an opinion in the literature that ethical codes are mainly aimed at improving the perception of the company on the market and thus indirectly serve to increase profits. Following the ethical norms by employers is important to the employees' perception of the work environment as fair or not, which in turn influences, inter alia, the level of their motivation and commitment. The authors, using the free (unstructured) interview method, interviewed 100 respondents of three organizations (one from the public sector and two from the private financial sector). The purpose of the interviews was to determine what values are appreciated most by employees in their workplace. The values were divided into several categories: fair wages, fair duty burden sharing, equal development opportunities, equal treatment of sexes, equal treatment by the chief, clear employee evaluation procedures, equal promotion opportunities, fair distribution of prizes. The results of the survey indicated that over 60% of employees pointed that fair wages policy and a fair share of duties are the most important from their point of view. An important issue was also the equal treatment of the sexes (11%). The rest of the factors were mentioned as significant by 5% (and fewer) of the respondents.