4

Workplace

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Introduction
The duty to those in the workplace (including those in other workplaces associated
with projects, e.g. construction sites) is, it seems, often forgotten – or at least
neglected somewhat due to the pressures of competing priorities and the focus
on external stakeholders, typically clients. However, it is a crucial duty – when duly
observed, upheld and supported it can lead to:
• resilience of an organisation
• improved performance of an organisation
• improved wellbeing, both in the workplace and beyond
• attraction and retention of high-quality staf.
Various issues tend to arise with this ethical duty; however, much evidence is
anecdotal, given the nature of these issues within the workplace and the consequent
reluctance of individuals to speak out freely. Typical ethical issues which arise in the
context of this duty include the following.
• The architect’s duty to those who commission their services is often seen as
paramount – sometimes leading to unrealistic deadlines, poor working hours and
poor staf wellbeing.
• Access to the architectural profession is often reported as expensive and eforts
towards improving and diversifying access are often undermined by poor
recruitment practices.
• Time, space and resources are sometimes not given towards training,
development and driving forward diversity and inclusion.
• Decisions of a practice’s leadership can lack transparency, leading to staf
disengagement and perceptions of unfairness, particularly regarding salaries and
promotions.
The nature of the duty to those in the workplace is broad and varied. Again, from
anecdotal evidence it seems that practices often do well or even excel in respect
of some elements of the duty; few perform well across all elements. The duty is not
just the duty owed by an architect employer towards their architect employees;
it is a duty owed by any and all architects in their workplace towards all those
they encounter.
It is therefore useful to explore the diferent components of the duty and how it
should be balanced in the wider context of ethical decision-making – what does the
duty to those in the workplace actually look like in practice, and how should the duty
be sufciently prioritised while still delivering against other duties?

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FIGURE 4.1
Starting to explore the duty
to those in the workplace.

Law, regulation and professional codes

Legal obligations are a key part of the duty to those in the workplace. They set
the bare minimum requirements for how those in the workplace – employers,
employees, workers and self-employed individuals1 – should be engaged and
treated. They regulate employment relationships, interactions, processes and the
work environment.
Employment law, as with all law, varies across diferent countries. There are often
signifcant variances across diferent jurisdictions, particularly when it comes to
matters such as minimum wage and termination of employment. Employment law
in the UK is relatively thorough and complex, covering matters from minimum wage
to holiday entitlements, redundancy, equality and discrimination, termination of
employment and whistleblowing.2

LAW AnD REGULATIon

Employment law is of general application and is not particular to the architectural
profession. UK legal obligations in respect of employment are extensive and detailed,
but bespoke legal advice is readily available and numerous free online resources ofer
a useful overview and introduction.3

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Legislation
Key pieces of UK employment legislation4 include:
• Employment Rights Act 1996: covering the rights of employees, particularly in
respect of dismissal, parental leave and redundancy
• National Minimum Wage Act 1998: covering the minimum wage requirements (as
updated by the government from time to time)
• Employment Relations Act 1999: covering various rights at work, including trade
union recognition
• The Equality Act 2010: covering discrimination and protected characteristics
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: covering occupational health and safety
measures and the duty of employers towards all those on their premises.

Case law
Employment case law is high volume in the UK, covering a wide array of issues.5 It
is, of course, best to start with trying to do the right thing and to avoid problems
and disputes altogether. While it is then often best to try to resolve workplace issues
through informal means, or through an organisation’s grievance procedure, formal
means of dispute resolution are sometimes required. A good starting point is Acas’s
free ‘early conciliation’ service.6 For cases which cannot be resolved in this way, in the
UK there is the option of taking a case to the Employment Tribunal.7 A rich source of
diferent factual scenarios and case law emerges from the Employment Tribunal on a
regular basis.

CoDES

ARB
The Architects Code,8 while framed more through the lens of the duty to one’s client,
touches upon elements of the duty to those in the workplace, particularly in its
sections on:
• Standard 4: ‘Manage your business competently’
• Standard 12: ‘Have respect for others’.
However, these duties are obviously consumer-focused – being concerned with
ensuring that architects provide their clients with a proper and competent service.
Moreover, the duty to respect others, as articulated in Standard 12, does not go beyond
a requirement to ‘act in compliance with your legal obligations’ and to ‘not discriminate’.
This does little to develop and safeguard the duty any architect owes towards those
they encounter in the workplace. Therefore, much of the duty is left to individuals and
practices to decide and shape for themselves, through the development of policies,
codes and organisational culture and ethos. More on that later in the chapter.

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RIBA
The RIBA Code of Professional Conduct9 and Code of Practice10 do more to build on
the legal obligations towards those in the workplace and provide a somewhat more
detailed articulation of the components of the duty.
Principle 3 of both the Code of Professional Conduct and the Code of Practice,
dealing with ‘Relationships’, gives more detail:
Para 4: Equality, diversity and inclusion: Over and above reafrming the legal
obligations not to discriminate, victimise or harass anyone, Section 4.1 requires an
approach which ‘encourages and promotes equality of opportunity and diversity’,
while Sections 4.4 and 4.5 set requirements to ‘treat all persons fairly, with courtesy
and respect and without bias’ and ‘treat the beliefs and opinions of other people
with respect’. While these obligations clearly extend beyond the workplace, they also
include it and build on legal requirements in an efort to create a more ethical work
environment.
Para 5: Modern slavery: This explicitly requires compliance with modern slavery
legislation, but also requires members to:
• raise awareness of the issues of modern slavery in construction
• exercise reasonable skill and care to use supply chains (including both materials
and people implicated) which are free from modern slavery.
Para 6: Employment and responsibilities as an employer: Again, this section goes
above and beyond the legal obligations incumbent on an employer to require RIBA
Members who are employers and RIBA Chartered Practices to:
• provide a ‘fair, safe and equitable working environment’
• ensure all employees have a ‘full written contract of employment’
• pay staf ‘fairly’ – in line with living wage requirements, as defned by the Living
Wage Foundation,11 and with clear and transparent policies in place regarding:
salaries, pay grades and overtime
• have regard for the maximum weekly working hours12
• have regard for students’ training and educational needs.
Para 11: non-disclosure agreements (nDAs): Making it clear that NDAs should not
be used to block the reporting of wrongdoing or professional misconduct.
Para 12: Whistleblowing: Specifcally requiring RIBA Members/Chartered Practices to
have written procedures in place to enable proper whistleblowing by employees and
to protect whistle-blowers.

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other regulators and professional bodies

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) makes explicit reference to ‘Obligations to
Colleagues’ in Canon V of their Code of Ethics.13 While Canon I’s general obligations
require that members shall not ‘engage in harassment or discrimination’ or ‘engage
in conduct involving the wanton disregard of the rights of others’, Canon V more
specifcally articulates the duty to those in the workplace, requiring that members:
• ‘respect the rights and acknowledge the professional aspirations and
contributions of their colleagues’
• ‘provide their colleagues and employees with a fair and equitable
working environment, compensate them fairly, and facilitate their
professional development’
• ‘treat their colleagues and employees with mutual respect, and provide an
equitable working environment’ – in particular, they ‘should recognize and fulfl
their obligation to nurture fellow professionals as they progress through all stages
of their career, beginning with professional education in the academy, progressing
through internship and continuing throughout their career’
• ‘recognize and respect the professional contributions of their employees,
employers, professional colleagues, and business associates’.
The Code of Professional Conduct of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA)14
also has a signifcant focus on the duty to those in the workplace, going above and
beyond mere legal obligations to require:
• ‘defned terms of employment, authority responsibility and liability’
• ‘opportunities to accept progressively greater delegated authority and
responsibility in accordance with… ability and experience’
• maintenance and advancement of competence ‘by participating in continuing
education’ and by enabling the same for employees
• cooperation with the ‘HKIA and schools of architecture in their practical training’
• provision of ‘as varied experience as is possible’.

Workplace structure and culture

Ethical practice in terms of the duty to those in the workplace arguably starts with
the setup, structure and culture of the architectural practice. These factors set the
foundations, boundaries and ethos of the workplace. How an architectural practice is
set up and structured is an ethical, as well as a practical, decision in its own right. How
that practice then operates and how those in the workplace are treated and interact
then involves much more and ongoing ethical decision-making.

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STRUCTURE AnD SETUP

‘Architecture practices are not one-size-fts-all’,15 and while no particular practice
structure is necessarily inherently more ethical than another, diferent structures do
operate in diferent ways – for example, allowing more or less participation from all
staf, providing more or less transparency around decision-making, ensuring more or
less accountability of leadership.
In any given practice structure, it is necessary to consider these diferent elements.
With good leadership and good staf, any workplace structure can be ethical;
however, some structures lend themselves to more ethical workplaces as the
foundational structure itself ensures transparency, participation and accountability.
Speaking about the cooperative company structure, for example, Kate Marks explains
that this is ‘a very egalitarian company where the founders do not take exorbitant
salaries or take all the kudos for the work produced by the practice. They still enjoy
what they do and pass on this love of design throughout the company.’16

‘If a company runs into economic distress, co-ops are generally more adept at
preserving jobs while planning longer-term adjustments to the frm’s operations,
such as slowing down expansion to maintain current assets – whereas traditional
corporations may pay less attention to strategic planning and simply shed jobs to
tighten budgets.’
VIRGInIE PÉRoTIn, Co-oPERATIVES UK, 19 noVEMBER 2018

FIGURE 4.2
Considering the physical
workplace setup.

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Employee ownership17 is also becoming increasingly popular for architects, with

more than 15 of the UK’s top 100 practices adopting the model as early as 2018.18
According to the Employee Ownership Association,19 companies operating an
employee ownership structure delivered around £30 billion (4%) of the UK’s annual
GDP in 2018, and the sector is estimated to be growing at 10% per annum.
Employee ownership can take several diferent forms,20 but the direct model involves
employees becoming registered individual shareholders of the majority of shares in
their company. This immediately creates a level of participation and transparency
which is not guaranteed in more traditional company structures, with employees
having the same access to information and decision-making as shareholders.
While transparency, accountability and equal opportunity for participation – all
arguably characteristics of an ethical workplace – can all be created through other
types of company setup and structure, numerous architectural practices have
provided strong endorsements for the employee ownership model, with some
suggestions that they are not only more ethical but also more productive.21

CULTURE AnD ETHoS

The ethical duty towards those in the workplace extends well beyond the practical
framework of the structure and setup selected. The culture and ethos developed and
demonstrated by an architectural practice will arguably communicate far more about
its ethical stance and behaviour.
Many organisations have seen their culture and ethos challenged and altered
during the Covid-19 pandemic (through 2020 and 2021). For example, organisations
which lacked a fexible approach to work, instead requiring staf to attend ofces
at set times on set days, have seen their approach directly challenged during the
course of the pandemic and then culturally questioned thereafter by staf and the
general public, who now seek a more fexible, constructive, forward-thinking, even
ethical workplace culture and ethos, which takes account of their personal lives and
caring responsibilities.

‘The norm should still be that people don’t have to go to the ofce. They can do stuf
as they need to at home and shouldn’t have to work 9–5. It’s a rebalancing of people’s
lives, which is challenging, but I think it’s the way we’re heading, and we’ll have to think
about what’s required for people to be able to participate in that society.’
InDY JoHAR In An InTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE HARDInG, CEnTRE FoR LonDon, 29 SEPTEMBER 2021

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FIGURE 4.3
‘The Rat Race’, street art, Bristol,
unknown artist; highlighting
concerns of some employees.

Practice management
While an organisation’s culture and ethos may now largely be communicated
through websites, blog posts, mission statements, statements of values, employment
contracts, workplace policies and guidelines etc, some of those sources also have a
more detailed role to play in how a practice is actually managed and how it operates
day-to-day.
Employee contracts, together with policies, processes and guidance documents,
should detail how an architectural practice operates and what is expected of
those in the workplace. The subject matter covered by those diferent tools can be
categorised in myriad ways, but should broadly cover:
• the work environment
• equity, diversity and inclusion
• training and development.

WoRK EnVIRonMEnT
The work environment is broad and encompasses both physical workspaces and the
invisible confnes and constructs of our working lives (working hours, annual leave,
sick pay, access to support and advice, etc).

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Health, safety and wellbeing

Some aspects of the ethical duty towards those in the workplace are, hopefully, very
obvious. For example, the health, safety and wellbeing of all those in the workplace
– employers, employees, workers and self-employed individuals – should be
safeguarded and supported. This is not just a case of meeting any applicable health
and safety legislation, but also going above and beyond that to ensure that the work
environment is conducive to wellbeing and that any issues raised are responded to
promptly and appropriately.
Architects are, no doubt, more than capable of delivering on the ethical duty to those
in the workplace in terms of physical requirements beyond those strictly required by
law. As Matthew Prowse observes:
An increasing awareness of the importance of mental and physical health and wellbeing
has prompted a more sophisticated approach to the way we design and use workplaces.
Today, landlords and occupiers are not only demanding good daylighting, air quality,
acoustics and temperature control, but also environments that actively reduce stress,
promote relaxation and exercise, as well as strike the right balance between collaborative
and individual working.22

Architects are, hopefully, securing such high-quality work environments for their own
practices, in the interests of all of those in the workplace.
However, the less visible and tangible aspects of the work environment are too often
neglected and familiar ethical issues which receive a lot of attention in this area
persist, including:
• long working hours
• unpaid overtime
• unfair (or at least opaque) salaries and salary scales
• poor investment in training and skills
• poorly communicated and possibly limited work opportunities and career prospects.
These aspects of the ethical duty to those in the workplace are being more
regularly highlighted and challenged, particularly by less experienced architectural
professionals who are willing to speak up and challenge the status quo. It is worth
acknowledging straight away that there is the age-old retort that architectural fees
are inadequate, and that such low fees lead to long working hours and the need
for unpaid overtime. While practices undoubtedly need more support to improve
fees across the profession, it is clear that many architectural practices have worked
hard, despite fees, to eradicate (or at least signifcantly reduce) long working hours
and have made policy decisions at a practice level to ensure overtime requirements
are clear and fair, and that salaries are transparent. So, if some practices have tackled
these ethical issues head on, why not more – why not all? The situation is also

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strikingly ‘chicken-and-egg’ – if salaries don’t improve and overtime isn’t paid and
long working hours for poor pay are the norm, why would fees increase? Difcult
though it undoubtedly is, surely paying fair salaries, remunerating overtime and
managing healthy working hours is part and parcel of improving architectural fees.
At a basic level, these issues are covered by the RIBA Code of Professional Conduct
and Code of Practice. They are also taken further for RIBA Chartered Practices by
guidance and example policies within the Chartered Practice Toolbox.23 But more can,
and should, be done, and the institutes and professional bodies have an important
role to play (in the UK and globally) – both through leading by example and through
facilitating discussions within the profession which give a voice to a more diverse
range of individuals. This is beginning to happen, including in the UK through the
RIBA’s Future Architects network,24 but practices can and should do more, sooner.

‘The question is, does the profession actually want to have and encourage open
conversations to take place? And how can Part 1 and Part 2s be encouraged to have a
say and have their voice heard?’
AnonYMoUS SoURCE, 2021

Respecting colleagues
Again, you would hope that the need to respect one’s colleagues is an aspect of
the duty to those in the workplace that could go without further articulation and
emphasis. However, experience and anecdotal reporting suggests that this often isn’t
the case.

FIGURE 4.4
Health, safety and wellbeing
in all workplaces, including
construction sites.

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The RIBA Code of Professional Conduct goes some way towards properly articulating
this ethical duty, aiming to banish victimisation and harassment, and to encourage
courtesy and respect.25 Crucially, ‘respect’ and ‘agree with’ are not synonymous.
No ethical duty extends to mean that colleagues are beyond challenge; however,
challenging and disagreeing with someone’s opinion should be done with respect,
with a level of professionalism and courtesy.

Whistleblowing
It is always good to try to resolve issues informally and in a constructive way,
particularly in the workplace; but sometimes that doesn’t work for a variety of
reasons. Sometimes, those in more junior positions in the workplace are fearful of
speaking out on issues they have observed. Sometimes even more experienced
employees fear the possible repercussions of speaking up. With the ethical duty
on individuals certainly extending to require speaking up and speaking out when
malpractice or dangerous situations are observed, the ethical duty also needs to
extend to require workplaces to have whistleblowing procedures in place and to
treat whistle-blowers appropriately and fairly.26
Some practices have set a strong example by having a partner or director at the
practice take responsibility for supporting whistleblowing. This seems like a sensible
and responsible approach, both for dealing with clear instances of whistleblowing
and for developing guidance and policies to help in emerging areas of concern. It is
worth noting that one such emerging area is the difcult position faced, particularly
by young professionals, of being required to work on projects which are not aligned
with our responsibilities in an era of climate and biodiversity emergency.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AnD InCLUSIon

Equity, diversity and inclusion should not be a separate part of the ethical duty to
those in the workplace, as it should be – and is – embedded across the whole duty,
and, in fact, across all ethical duties of an architect. Approaching all aspects of one’s
work with an awareness of and an intention to improve equity, diversity and inclusion
is an imperative. However, the subject bears its own title and section here as there
are particular aspects to highlight in the context of the ethical duty to those in the
workplace, including the requirement to ‘commit to developing their workplace
culture, talent pipeline and ways of working to support inclusion’.27
Architects, particularly RIBA Members, should seek to support the Action Plan,28
launched by the RIBA and fve other built environment institutions in July 2022 with
the aim of ‘creating a built environment sector that is as diverse as the communities
it represents’. Following the framework of the RIBA’s gender pay gap guidance29 then
provides a more detailed approach to structuring the equity, diversity and inclusion
aspects of the ethical duty to those in the workplace into three headline areas:

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• recruitment (or access)

• progression
• retention.
Architects, like other professionals, have a duty to promote equity, diversity and
inclusion in the workplace. The key opportunities to do so in a meaningful way lie
within these three sections of the workplace – or sections of an individual’s career:
• Recruitment/access: How does the workplace recruit people? Is it fair, unbiased,
transparent?
• Progression: How does the workplace allow, or even encourage and support, people
to progress? Are promotion opportunities appropriately managed and awarded? Are
mentoring programmes in place? Is necessary training readily available?
• Retention: How does the workplace encourage and reward longevity? How
does it support a work-life balance, particularly in light of life events and
caring responsibilities?
Due consideration of all these aspects is part and parcel of the duty to those in the
workplace. Employers, in particular, have an ethical duty to improve equity, diversity
and inclusion through access, progression and retention; however, all those in the
workplace have a role to play and bear the same overarching ethical duty – to
contribute to improved equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, for the
beneft of everyone in it (and beyond its walls), with the aim that the workplaces of
architects might be fairer, more inclusive and representative of the societies they
serve with their work.
It is also true that some people (including those in the LGBTQ+ community, those
who are neurodiverse and those sufering with poor mental health) may need
particular, well-tailored support in order to thrive in the workplace. Few architects set
out to be bad employers, and many respond sensitively when confronted with an
issue in the workplace; but proper inclusion requires a proactive, tailored approach.

TRAInInG AnD DEVELoPMEnT

Training and development are certainly part of the wider equity, diversity and
inclusion aspects of the ethical duty to those in the workplace, but they are worth
highlighting and articulating further. Training and developing those in the workplace
also connects with all of the other fve ethical duties of an architect – without
proper training and development, those in the workplace cannot properly honour
and deliver on their duties to the wider world, society or those commissioning
their services as they lack knowledge and expertise; without proper training and
development, those in the workplace cannot properly uphold the reputation of the
profession or contribute to the knowledge of the wider profession; and the duty to

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oneself undoubtedly extends to a duty to identify training and development required

to maintain and improve competence.
Training and development come in many diferent forms and guises – all of them
tools and opportunities which are available to help deliver on the ethical duty to
those in the workplace, including:
• mentoring schemes,30 including those with an added emphasis on equity,
diversity and inclusion, such as the FLUID programme31
• leadership training32
• technical learning and accreditation/certifcation33
• support programmes for those returning to work after parental leave or
career breaks.34

other workplaces and workers

The ethical duty owed to those in the workplace extends beyond the confnes of the
ofces and studios of architectural practices. It includes duties to:
• co-professionals encountered on projects, including during activity outside
the ofce
• those working on construction sites, in the UK or internationally
• employees working from home
• those working within supply chains, i.e. for goods or services required for the
delivery of a project.

MoDERn SLAVERY In ConSTRUCTIon

Of particular note here are the parts of the ethical duty requiring architects to raise
awareness of the issues of modern slavery in construction and to exercise reasonable
skill and care to use supply chains which are free from modern slavery.
As Unseen UK reminds us, ‘stories of modern slavery in construction are rife’.35 This
includes the modern slavery of workers on construction sites and the modern slavery
of workers in supply chains producing materials for use in construction. An architect’s
ethical duty to those in the workplace extends to all of these co-workers, near and far
– a duty to report any suspected modern slavery on construction sites and a duty to
use reasonable skill and care to use slavery-free supply chains.
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has led the way on this in the UK, sharing
research and developing guidance and supporting materials to assist professionals
within the construction industry.36

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FIGURE 4.5
A construction site – part of
the extended workplace for
architects.

To uphold their ethical duty in this sphere, architects should at least:

• upskill themselves – improving their knowledge of modern slavery in construction
(on sites and in supply chains)37
• equip themselves with sufcient knowledge to spot possible signs of modern
slavery on construction sites38
• take care to examine supply chains, particularly of construction materials, to look
for indicators of a risk of modern slavery39
• report instances of suspected modern slavery.40

Key principles
Most of the workplace-related ethical issues which occur frequently within
architectural practice have been mentioned earlier in this chapter. In essence they
can be divided into two broad categories:
• pay and conditions, including: long working hours, unpaid overtime and unfair (or
at least opaque) salaries and salary scales
• lack of opportunity, including: insufcient options for progression, inadequate
training and limited development.

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PAY AnD ConDITIonS

Much can be done through workplace policies, employment contracts and guidance
documents to ensure and safeguard a good work-life balance, a clear and transparent
policy on overtime, and clear and transparent salary structures,41 as has been touched
on earlier in this chapter.
While some will argue that the long-hours culture will persist in architecture as long
as fees remain low, others will point out that change is possible – that some practices
have taken huge steps forward in the last decade, and that the ethical duty to those
in the workplace at least extends to trying to improve the situation, particularly
through taking actions that are within our control. While improving fees across the
industry may require more collective, rather than singular, efort over a longer period
of time, those in the workplace can more immediately change their workplace
culture, encouraging and embedding a healthy work-life balance while being
transparent, open and fair about pay and reward.

LACK oF oPPoRTUnITY
Similarly, those in the workplace have a high level of autonomy and agency to
provide and pursue opportunities for development and progression. Many more
junior individuals in the workplace anecdotally report that they are exposed
to very limited areas of work for extended periods of time, not being given the
opportunity to see other areas of practice, or to meet clients, or to learn new skills.
While training and development, of course, need to be aligned with the needs
of the business as a whole, induction and training programmes at practices need
to value the talent they have secured – nurturing and growing it whenever and
wherever possible.

Conclusion
It is hopefully clear by now that the ethical duty to those in the workplace is not
simply a duty placed on those in positions of authority, requiring them to treat their
staf in a particular way. It is a more collaborative duty, borne by all those in the
workplace, for the beneft of all. It requires strong foundations, laid in the practice
structure, culture and ethos, followed by a collective efort to look after one another
and support each other in our working lives.

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Dilemma – homeworking

You, an architect and practice manager, are concerned by the number

SCENARIO of employees working from home on a full-time basis, as some
deadlines have recently been missed. You think that working in an ofce
environment is better for productivity and would like to change the
practice’s policy to require staf to come to the ofce at least three days a
week from 9am to 6pm. You know that not all staf will be happy with this,
but think that it is necessary in order to ensure deadlines are met to deliver
on various client contracts.

The initial options you might consider may include:

OPTIONS
A Persuade the other senior staf to agree to change the policy immediately.
B Don’t change the policy, as it will upset staf.
C Consult staf and ask for their views on the policy.

CONSIDERATIONS

• The value and reputation of a practice lies in its knowledge and

experience – the site of that knowledge and experience is, to a large
extent, the staf.
• Persuading senior staf to change a policy immediately is a possible
and viable option for urgent matters, where practice leaders need to be
able to respond quickly and be trusted to act in the best interests of the
practice and all those in the workplace.
• It is important to look to the longer-term; discontented staf might lead
to poor staf retention and a consequent loss of value and reputation for
the practice.
• Signifcant value and reputation also lie in the strength and consistency
of a practice’s leadership.
• Staf retention and performance often depends on trust and loyalty, as
well as job satisfaction.
• But trust must also be earned through good performance, and
the success of a practice depends on successful delivery, as well as
staf retention.

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• Depending to an extent on the practice structure, there is much value

in a transparent and consultative approach where people feel they have
a voice.
• Consulting with staf and seeking their views is, on the face of it, the
most fair, transparent and proportionate approach; however, some
issues may not be suitable for consultation, particularly in some
practice structures where staf may not have sufcient knowledge and
information about particular issues to make an informed contribution.
• Leaving the policy untouched is a possible option in the right context
– it might not be the right time to make policy changes, for example, if
staf morale is low or a more formal and structured policy review is due
to take place in the near future.
• The disruption caused by too much change may outweigh the potential
benefts intended by the policy amendment.

Views from others

Virginia Newman is a director at KSR Architects and
Interior Designers.
Is a highly ethical person more likely to be a good
employer? Is the reverse true: is someone less likely to be
an ethical employer if they have poor moral principles in
the way they run their life? I suspect that the answer to
both questions is ‘yes’. A person who takes the broader
ethical stance in their life as a whole is more likely to be
sensitive to the wider needs of their employees and want
to promote a culture of community, tolerance, equal
opportunities and progression.
In the workplace, good employment practice is mandated up to a point. For example, while
employees have the legal teeth to confront bullying or discrimination, the ethical practice will
create an environment where the bullying or discrimination is not tolerated on any level and an
open, caring culture gives it nowhere to hide. Surely this is simply ‘the right thing to do’.
There may be small fnancial outlays associated with taking an ethical approach. This may be the
cost of providing enhanced maternity leave, or top-up pay for someone of work sufering from
stress. It may be the time to allow for training and personal development.
In compensation, the hard costs attached to a responsible employment approach will produce
a healthier, better educated and safer workforce. A sensible approach to overtime will reduce
stress levels and avoid burnout, while an inclusive approach to recruitment will tap into the wider
talent pool.
Thus an ethical approach to employment will result in a lower staf turnover, less sick leave and a
happier, diverse and loyal workforce who feel respected and who respect each other. Surely this is
good business sense and not just ‘the right thing to do’?

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