EMPLOYMENT ETHICS

A worker’s guide to getting fair treatment and holding employers accountable.

In this book, Schachtner, a technical and community college instructor, aims to “help workers better understand their rights, responsibilities, and the larger systems at play” that affect the relationship between employee and employer. He emphasizes that the nature of that relationship is purely transactional, “a business arrangement where both parties have something valuable to offer,” rejecting the notion that employment is a form of benevolence where companies “give” jobs to workers. He defines employment ethics as “fundamental principles that establish basic workplace ethics, safety, and sustainability worldwide,” and as “tangible factors that affect your daily life, financial stability, and well-being.” Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of the employment relationship. First comes work ethic, which has four basic components: productivity, reliability, autonomy, and collaboration; each are discussed in detail. Chapter 2, “Employers Are Not Leaders,” explains the difference between management, which focuses on day-to-day processes and efficiency, and leadership, which is people-focused and needed in challenging times. The third chapter applies the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs framework to employment. Next, the author stresses the importance of a balanced relationship, noting differences between long-term and short-term/gig work and the problem of misclassification. The middle of the book tackles workplace safety and security, corporate accountability, and environmental responsibility. Chapter 8 makes the case for “community-supporting” wages. Chapter 9 reviews Maslow’s principles, and what happens when employer ethics fail. Chapter 10 and the conclusion serve as a call to action and outline how to advocate for change. All chapters end with reflection questions to help readers evaluate their own workplaces, such as, “Are your ideas and input respected in team settings, even if you are not in a leadership role?” There is also a reference list of the author’s research sources.

Throughout the book, Schachtner portrays the employer-employee relationship as heavily one-sided, where a worker’s loyalty is often demanded but rarely reciprocated: “For too long, the burden of the employment relationship has been placed exclusively on employees.” He details the myriad problems that occur when employers are unethical, including infamous historical catastrophes like the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Chernobyl reactor meltdown, Monongah coal mine and Bhopal chemical plant explosions, and violent union busting. The author asserts that the regulations created in response to these and other workplace tragedies are essential for holding employers accountable and without enforcement by government watchdog agencies, companies would be free to exploit and endanger employees, communities, and the environment in the pursuit of ever-higher corporate profits. Other than mentioning freelance work for corporations and the issue of misclassification of gig workers, the only form of employment described is traditional jobs in for-profit industries. The author doesn’t mention government or nonprofit employers, although some of the issues might also apply to them. Schachtner’s writing is clear and straightforward, but he often repeats key points, for example, variations on the sentence “Recognizing ethical gaps is the first step toward advocating for change” appear in nearly every chapter. The book’s conclusion provides a partial list of resources such as OSHA, ISO, and Safe Work Australia. It makes a persuasive case that government regulations, oversight, and enforcement are necessary and worker advocacy, both individual and collective, is essential for a well-functioning society.

A practical, cleareyed, albeit repetitive, resource.