Acting Ethically
Ethics can be defined as doing the right thing. An ethical person has a strong conscious, good morals and is very self-aware. When facing an ethical dilemma, it can be challenging to know what is the right/ethical choice. Although an ethical person may not always make the correct decision initially, they can quickly acknowledge when they do not and immediately take the necessary actions to make the situation right.
My Experience:
At my job with Texas A&M Information Technology, we are responsible for tracking our work hours and submitting time sheets each Wednesday. I was sick for a few days and did not submit my time sheet. Then the following week I was submitting my hours and did not pay attention to the date, so I submitted hours from the prior week that I did not work. I knew it was a big hassle to recall the time sheets and since my boss was on maternity leave, another supervisor was approving our time sheets. He had no interaction with us, so he would not realize that I did not work these hours. However, knowing I would get paid for hours I did not work made me feel very uneasy and anxious. After thinking about the situation for a few hours, I decided to go to the supervisor and explain my error. He was not too thrilled about having to go back in the system and recall my time sheet. He told me to pay more attention in the future, but also thanked me for my honestly and acknowledged that not many people would own up to this mistake.
What I Learned:
I am very fortunate to have grown up with a family who implemented strong morals from little on and always forced me own up to my mistakes. My upbringing has allowed me to develop a strong conscious, which I think is one of my greatest qualities. I always try to do the right thing, and when making decisions, I think about how my choices will affect other people. Although ethics is not always black and white, I know the person I strive to be and try to make my everyday actions embody my moral standards. The best definition of an ethical person is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. Although it may be easy to cheat on an online test and over exaggerate your miles on an expense sheet, I think that by not succumbing to these temptations, I will become a stronger and more ethical individual that people can rely on and trust.