Do you handle ethical dilemmas within your business directly, or do you have a program for nipping such problems in the bud? Regardless of your approach, the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research recommends asking these 12 questions when you face an ethical dilemma:
- Have you defined the problem accurately?
- How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence?
- How did this situation occur in the first place?
- To whom and to what should you give your loyalty as a person and as a member of the company?
- What’s your intention in making this decision?
- How does this intention compare with the probable results?
- Whom might your decision or action injure?
- Can you discuss the problem with the affected parties before you make your decision?
- Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period as it seems now?
- Could you disclose without qualm your decision or action to your boss, CEO, board of directors, your family, or society as a whole?
- What’s the symbolic potential of your action if it’s understood, or misunderstood?
- Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand?
Ethics are critical to the integrity of any business. They also provide a valuable supplement to your insurance program by reducing your exposure to potential litigation.
