Professional Career

No Big Deal, Right?

Throughout my professional career I have witnessed many unethical issues. When the offenders are confronted (on the rare occasion that they are) they all have the resounding response, “It is no big deal.” In fact many of these unethical issues are a “big deal.” These issues can cost the employer in productivity and resources impacting them financially. Said financial implications in turn impact the very employee conducting the unethical act.

One unethical act that I have witnessed in my professional life is the “taking” of resources. As a Medical Instructor at Fort Bragg, NC, I had the privilege of having the most advanced medical supplies available to me in abundance. Due to this abundance many of my colleges felt it was alright to take some of these medical supplies for personal use. While this unethical issue was “no big deal” while the schools budget was seen as uncapped, it became a “big deal” as budget cuts came down from superiors. The financial impact of said unethical issue was felt not just in my immediate section but it was felt system wide.

Another unethical act that many employees feel that is “no big deal” and that I have witnessed in my professional life is the act of using company time to do accomplish personal tasks. This unethical issue can most frequently be seen as a colleague checks personal email or surfs the web. This becomes especially prevalent around the holidays. I have seen colleagues do their Christmas shopping online at work. What these employees fail to realize is that they are stealing from the company. This theft once again impacts productivity which in turn impacts the company financially. These financial implications not only impact the company as a whole, it impacts the very employee making the infraction.

As we conduct ourselves in the professional workforce we all need to realize that unethical issues are a “big