In today’s world… coming out of a recession with high unemployment still looming over our heads… you would think that people would have a great work ethic and do the best they can at the jobs they do have.  Sadly, that is not the case.

Too often employees treat their jobs as a right and not a privilege. They surf the Internet at work, play online games, take personal calls, and even walk off with office supplies as if they own them.

What do you think the world would be like if everyone knew when someone was unethical? Business Ethics – My Life in Headlines gives a unique view into a world like that.

Gone is the day when employers could trust their employees. Today we have security personnel who’s sole job description is just to monitor the employees – checking their Internet activity and watching to make sure the company equipment and proprietary information stays secure.

It is said that art imitates life… this is frequently true if you look at what is on television nowadays. The following two videos illustrate this point.

The first is a spoof on the show The Office.

The Office Ethics

And the second is a recap of an actual episode of The Office which addressed the issue of ethics in the workplace.

The Office Business Ethics In 60 Seconds

The slacker mentality is rampant in this world of ours. And it is not just limited to the hourly employees — management is putting in their fair share as well.  However, I do have hope that this lackadaisical approach to responsibility can be turned around. I am seeing bread crumbs around the Internet leading back to the place where we can expect people to be responsible for themselves and their actions.

Rachel Zupek at CareerBuilder.com recently wrote an article entitled “My Co-Worker Is a Slacker… and My Boss Doesn’t Care!”. In this article she gives seven practical steps you can take to deal with this situation in a non-threatening manner.

Over on Mahalo there is a great article on how to deal with a bad boss. This is another example of someone not stepping into the role they agreed to take on when they started the job. This page gives step by step actions you can take to protect yourself from the lack of ethics around you.

No matter what the problem, there is a way to deal with it that can resolve the conflict peacefully. And on that note, there is a character education program that teaches adults how to be responsible and how to use conflict resolution techniques and other problem solving skills… something they should have been taught as children. Today’s employers could see a lot of improvement by offering this program to their employees… in fact, some already have.

If enough of us make a stand and refuse to give in to the lack of ethics in the workplace… if we stand up and take it upon ourselves to set the example, I know we will see a difference.