ABSTRACT
This chapter examines workplace ethics and well-being from a psychological perspective. The chapter looks at the development of empathy and its importance in maintaining and supporting ethical behaviors. It explores the effects of unethical acts on organizations and individuals, using case studies to illustrate a range of unethical behaviors and how these have affected targets, observers, families, and triends. It concentrates on the harm experienced by witnesses, colleagues, investigators, and supporters exposed to unethical and other damaging behaviors and offers suggestions on how organizations can become more empathetic and how individuals may grow following exposure to unethical exposure. The chapter looks at the impact of unethical behaviors on primary victims, who respond directly to the punishing behaviors directed toward them. It proposes that empathizing with those affected by negative acts can lead to physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms in observers and witnesses similar to those experienced by the primary victims.
