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The Ethics of Taking Vacations

July 29, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

You owe it to yourself to recuperate, and you’ll do your job better if you take time off. Both are ethical issues.

By Bruce Weinstein, PhD

Which of the following statements is most accurate for you?

A) I receive 15 days of paid vacation each year, and I take them—guilt-free.

B) I receive 15 days of paid vacation each year, but I feel guilty if I take them.

C) I haven’t had a vacation in years. I’m loyal to my company or business and am proud of this fact.

D) I work for myself and don’t take vacations. If I don’t work, I don’t make money. [Read more...]

Filed Under: BusinessWeek Columns Tagged With: Bruce Weinstein, BusinessWeek, do no harm, Ethical, Ethics, Ethics Quiz, Fair, Guilt, Job, loving, Loyalty, Make Things Better, Paid Vacation, Respect, The Ethics Guy, Vacation

Should celebrities sell photos of their babies?

July 27, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

It is wrong for celebrities to sell photos of their babies, even if the money goes to charity, says Dr. Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy, in this piece broadcast on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: CNN, Media Appearances Tagged With: Anderson Cooper, babies, Bruce Weinstein, BusinessWeek, celebrities, children, CNN, Ethical, Ethics, Ethics Quiz, moral, paparazzi, photos, The Ethics Guy, weddings

Too Generous ?

July 15, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

A letter to the Ethics Guy shows us how to be ethical in business.

Dear Ethics Guy:

I run a bed-and-breakfast and am fairly new to the hospitality industry. Recently a guest checked in for three days and left early on the last morning. He wrote to me when he got home and said that he was quite upset that we did not have breakfast available for him on his departure day. Apparently one of my employees told him that he could dine anytime between 6 a.m. and 12 noon, so he assumed that he could grab a meal before his early flight out. However, we do not begin serving until 7 a.m., so it was not possible to meet my guest’s needs on his last day with us. I decided to make an unfortunate situation better by refunding him a full night’s fee. My husband thinks that I should have simply given him back the cost of the breakfast. He says that being too generous is just as bad as not being generous enough. What do you think? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: bed and breakfast, Bruce Weinstein, Business, business decision, BusinessWeek, customer service, Ethical, Ethics, Ethics Quiz, Fairness, right and wrong, The Ethics Guy, the high road, Workplace

The Ethics of Picking a Vice-President

July 15, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

A running mate should be chosen on the basis of what’s good for the nation, not just who will help get Obama or McCain elected.

By Bruce Weinstein, PhD

Who should be the running mates for Senators Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.)? This is one of the most debated questions in the Presidential campaign, but it shouldn’t be viewed as merely a strategic concern. Whenever we ask what someone should do—and the rights or well-being of others hang in the balance—we are asking an ethical question. And that’s why the question of who our next Vice-President ought to be is an important ethical issue. [Read more...]

Filed Under: BusinessWeek Columns Tagged With: Barack Obama, Bruce Weinstein, Business, BusinessWeek, Criticism, electability, Election, Ethical, Ethics, John McCain, Politics, Successor, The Ethics Guy, Veep, Vice-President

Simple Quiz

July 15, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

We may not always agree with columnists and tv pundits, but how do we react?

A television pundit takes a position with which you disagree in the strongest possible terms. Would you:

A) Write him an angry e-mail and call his expertise into question.

B) Write to him and focus on his argument and why you find it mistaken

C) Ignore the matter altogether.

D) Write to the president of the network and threaten to boycott the channel unless they fire the pundit. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: angry e-mail, Bruce Weinstein, BusinessWeek, columnists, Ethical, Ethics, Ethics Quiz, Fairness, Respect, Respect Others, The Ethics Guy, tv pundit

Is Jackson’s apology enough? the Ethics Guy Answers.

July 9, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy, discusses whether Rev. Jesse Jackson did the right thing following his remark about Barack Obama. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CNN, Media Appearances Tagged With: apology, Barack Obama, Bruce Weinstein, BusinessWeek, Ethical, Ethics, Ethics Quiz, Fox News, Responsibility, Rev. Jesse Jackson, The Ethics Guy

What’s Your Ethics at Work IQ?

July 3, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

A Workplace Ethics Quiz by Dr. Bruce Weinstein, PhD

Daniel Goleman’s books “Emotional Intelligence” and “Social Intelligence” have made a huge impact on our culture. We could all develop our ethical intelligence, too. That means not only understanding the difference between right and wrong, but also choosing to act ethically, especially when there is great pressure to do otherwise. It’s not enough to know what’s right; the ethically intelligent person does what’s right, and is committed to doing so time and again. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Choices, Co-Worker, Employee, Ethical Intelligence, Ethics Quiz, Right

How Ethical Are You? Take The Ethics Guy’s Quiz on CNN

July 3, 2008 By Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

Dr. Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy, presents an ethics quiz to Gerri Willis on CNN’s “Issue #1.” You can take the full quiz at TheEthicsGuy.com [Read more...]

Filed Under: CNN, Media Appearances Tagged With: Bruce Weinstein, Business Ethics, BusinessWeek, CNN, Confidential, Ethical, Ethics, Ethics Quiz, Gerri Willis, Morale, Relationships, The Ethics Guy, Workplace