15 June to 22 June

MPs' Expenses and Workplace Ethics

Recent revelations about MPs claiming expenses for relatively trivial, but non-allowable items all the way up to claims for second homes that never existed, have provoked righteous public anger. As the scandal has developed heads have begun to fall, starting with that of Michael Martin, Speaker of the House of Commons, closely followed by MPs whose 'mistakes' in accounting have been exposed. At the heart of these events there is no doubt some serious wrongdoing, which it was important to uncover. Even more importantly, the public outcry about MPs' expenses, demands of everyone in employment that they should reflect on their own ethics.

A survey carried out by YouGov revealed that more than a third of employees admit to fiddling their expenses, with around eight out of ten respondents deeming it acceptable to exaggerate expenses claims by up to 9%. This seems clearly unethical, whether or not it is illegal. Whilst laws are clearly written down for everyone to see, morality depends on personal decisions about the boundaries between wrong and right. Acting ethically in the workplace, whether in relation to our expenses, the ways we use our time, or the ways we relate to others, is central to professionalism.

Seidu Alidu, PhD Candidate in Peace & Development, Gavin Fairbairn, Professor of Ethics and Language, School of Applied Global Ethics.