Quality matters: when Codes of Ethics can make a real difference
08 September 2025
What is the ethical issue?
Organisations provide different types of contracts to employees, and these may carry different benefits. There has recently been a rise in the number of people employed on part-time or atypical contracts. Employers are attracted to more flexible types of employment contracts because of the ability they give to meet increasing variations in demand.
Previously, employment conditions tended to be homogeneous among all employees. Now, a workplace might contain many workers, all with different contracts. Consequently, differences could apply to two workers performing the same job.
Contractual arrangements, including agency contracts, zero-hour and part-time workers, all have the potential to raise issues of fairness. These risks have been amplified by changing working patterns in which atypical contracts are becoming more common, and the same principles of fairness for full-time employees are not necessarily being applied.
Where there is a lack of equality of opportunity among employees within a workplace, the perception of unfair treatment, inconsistency and double-standards increases. Examples of unfair practices can be found in terms and conditions of employment, selection for redundancy, dismissal, access to training or promotion, as well as other benefits. These imbalances can create a backlash, both internally and externally.
The use of zero-hours contracts in particular can have negative implications for a business. While the use of zero-hour contracts is not necessarily unfair, their abuse by employers can cause reputational damage. These types of contracts can also impact company culture, as employees on zero-hours may have zero interest in the organisation, or engagement with its ethical values.
IBE Guidance
A summary of good practice
- Atypical contracts must be used in interests of the organisation and the employees in a mutually beneficial way. An ethical employer will want to treat all its employees fairly. In return, workers will want to ‘do the right thing,’ creating a positive cycle of employee engagement.
- All employees in similar roles, regardless of the type of contract they are on, should be given equal opportunities. If utilising atypical contracts, organisations should monitor these carefully and be aware of the impacts they can have on employees.
- Whatever type of contract is in operation, employees are entitled to expect a degree of protection against unethical behaviour, an expectation as to the number of hours they will work, and be supported to do the right thing.
Further resources
Attitudes of the British Public to Business Ethics 2022
Businesses and UK politicians must do better at demonstrating their ethical credentials if they are to win back the confidence of the British public - the 2022 results of the IBE's annual survey of the attitudes of the British public to business ethics.
29 June 2022
Employees’ voices: a glass half full
The results of our latest Ethics at Work survey bring us some good news, but also some red flags that cannot be ignored as organisations shape their ethical agenda for the future.
08 December 2021
Ethics at Work: 2021 International Survey of Employees
This survey is the only one of its kind, covering 13 countries over four continents, that provides real insight into employees’ views on ethics across all sectors and job roles.
04 November 2021
Attitudes. Ethics. Trust.
In this blog, Guendalina Donde, IBE's Head of Research, discusses the results of the 2020 Attitudes of the British Public to Business Ethics survey.
13 January 2021
Attitudes of the British Public to Business Ethics 2020
The 2020 results of the IBE's annual survey of the attitudes of the British public to business ethics.
30 December 2020
Hugh Kay Lecture: Standards in Public Life - Are we in a Post-Nolan age?
View the recording of our webinar.
12 November 2020
Doing business ethically in a time of coronavirus
Our Chair, Prof. David Grayson CBE discusses doing business ethically in a time of coronavirus in the latest IBE blog.
06 April 2020
Now is the right time to look at your culture
Ethical failures in business continue to happen with depressing regularity. Unfortunately, many organisations are only spurred to look at their culture and take the steps to embed ethical values at the heart of their decision making after things have gone badly wrong and customers, shareholders and colleagues have suffered as a result.
05 February 2020
Ethics at Work 2018: Germany
This survey report describes the German findings of our 2018 Ethics at Work research and provides comparison with the European average from the eight countries surveyed.
10 December 2019
Ethics at Work 2018: Italy
This survey report describes the Italian findings of our 2018 Ethics at Work research and provides comparison with the European average from the eight countries surveyed.
10 December 2019
Paying a living wage is the ethical thing to do
This week marks Living Wage Week, a chance to reflect on what it means to be paid a ‘living’ wage and evaluate how well employers are living up to this promise. Originally set up as an initiative to tackle in-work poverty, the living wage has been defined as the salary an employee requires in order to cover their basic needs, including adequate food, shelter and clothing. This Living Wage week also signifies the point at which new living wage rates will be announced.
12 November 2019
Ethics at Work 2018: Singapore
This survey report describes the Singapore findings of our 2018 Ethics at Work research and provides comparison with Switzerland and the UK.
23 September 2019
Ethics at Work 2018: Canada
This survey report describes the Canadian findings of our 2018 Ethics at Work research and provides comparison with Switzerland and the UK.
26 June 2019
Ethics at Work 2018: Switzerland
This survey report describes the Swiss findings of our 2018 Ethics at Work research and provides comparison with the European average.
23 May 2019