A blog post by MSPB says that integrity and honesty are “perceived as crucial” in federal employment and suggests how management can encourage such behavior and discourage unethical behavior.
“Ethical misconduct can cause a host of challenges for an agency, not the least of which is eroding an agency’s ability to accomplish its mission. Public sector employees who behave unethically not only adversely affect those inside their agency (and bring shame upon the agency’s reputation) but also harm others outside the agency—the American public who utilizes the agency’s products and services
It suggested steps including:
* put increased emphasis on oversight and programs which allow employees to anonymously report ethics violations without fear of retaliation;
* use resources such as HR to determine the root cause of ethical misconduct in the agency–for example, if otherwise-honest employees have problems in specific areas it may be due to ignorance or misunderstanding of the ethical standards that apply to their particular jobs;
* hire conscientious people in the first place, through reference checking to verify applicant claims about their work history and mechanisms such as the probationary period to remove unethical employees as soon as they reveal themselves; and
* make sure that leaders themselves model conscientious behavior.
